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writtenontheport · 9 months

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Just a Night at Portland Row

(pt.1) (pt.2)

Anthony Lockwood x (gn) Reader

Warnings/Tags: Literal romcom, These people are silly, Everyone’s so sillycore here, teary confessions, someone accidentally confesses, nothing dramatic happens he’s just silly, Childhood friends to lovers, Lockwood is kinda stupid (affectionate), no smut or suggestive content, Lockwood and co and reader friendship, whether or not what Lockwood says at the end actually happens is up to you!!

Notes: I have quite a few issues with this one, and I’m not entirely satisfied with it, but I think it’s one of the better ways I could go about it. I also put all the flowers meanings at the bottom, so if you were curious I did in fact plan the flower meanings (I am a nerd). This finale has gone through about 20 revisions on the first day alone, so if anything seems jarringly out of place, I am so sorry 😭 I was all over the place with my ideas.

Summary: Just before supper time, you and Lockwood have a heart to heart, and it starts as it always has: with flowers, with tears, and a little funny thing called love.

word count: 2.4k+

“George,” Lockwood says seriously. It’s the first time George has ever seen him so serious about something that isn’t Lucy or him dying and it shocks him how quick he is to steel himself for whatever it is. “I need you to get Lucy to bring them down here, if you can, please.”

Now, ‘them’ is obviously referring to you, who’s laughing away upstairs with Lucy so loud they can hear it ring through the vents. If this wasn’t something George has genuinely been excited for, he would have smacked Lockwood upside the head for using that terrifying tone. “Don’t say it like that, prick. Thought someone was dying there.”

Lockwood grins at him from where he’s messing with the bouquet stood up on the table. The paper wrapping hasn’t been removed, courtesy of the empty vase and that water would most likely melt it; ribbon still intact. They stand, not quite fully in bloom (which is the best way to buy flowers, because otherwise they wilt right away) but just on the precipice of it. It’s packed with other, smaller additions, but at the heart of it, well. Maybe Lockwood did know something about the language of flowers.

“How’d you even pick them out?” George asks instead, watching Lockwood’s grin wobble.

“I made friends with the shopkeeper. He wouldn’t tell me what any of them meant, but he said they were good flowers— like the carnations. One of them though… these white ones here, just felt familiar somehow.” He kept messing about with the bouquet, meddling with any loose leaf or bud. “Can you please go get them? I want them to be able to see the flowers before they wilt.”

George does swat Lockwood for that, but he goes upstairs to get you. You and Lucy have moved to her room on George’s urging (he made Lockwood wait outside before coming in to make sure you didn’t know) and were lying in her bed on your stomachs, reading and sharing books. Lucy’s the first to look up at him, raising a brow as she nudges you.

“George? Everything ok?” You ask, propping yourself up to sit criss cross on the mattress. “Has Anthony come back yet?”

“He has,” he says simply, “He says he needs you in the kitchen. Lucy should stay since she must be tired from the case yesterday.”

From behind you, Lucy has a moment of realization that has her tucking her lips to hide a smile. Quietly, she puts a hand up to her forehead in a salute to George.

“You should go check,” she says, “Who knows what kind of trouble he might be in.”

“A lot of trouble,” George adds, nodding slightly along. You narrow your eyes in suspicion, but you get up off the bed.

“I’ll save your place!” She calls just as you’re headed down. George walks 2 steps behind you to hide his expression before he can school it, feeling giddy with nerves that aren’t even his to have. He wonders how Lockwood’s doing, stopping just at his bedroom door.

You turn back, asking “You aren’t coming?”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” He rocks gently on his feet and pulls his hands behind his back, reassuring you with a calm nod. “Off you go, Lockwood’s probably burnt himself making tea by now or something.”

“I’d hope not…” you mumble, each step down like a crescendo in the world’s most suspenseful piece of music— every floorboard creak like the lead instrument and your heartbeat acting a steady base. On a sheet you’re sure it looks hideous, but it levels out when you open the door and Lockwood’s waiting there by the counter, looking like he’s straight off a magazine. The silence creeps in, but the piece rises to new heights as the sound of everything— the floorboards, the vents— suddenly dulls out.

You step into the kitchen, and let the door shut behind you.

There is your Anthony, standing there in the middle of the kitchen with a bouquet full of dazzling pink tulips, red roses, and spots of white jasmine flowers. There is Anthony, the boy you’ve known and loved for years— looking at you like he always does: like you’re the whole world and sky and everything he wakes up for.

Neither of you speak for a good minute, but it’s not without trying. Lockwood spends that pregnant pause fumbling for words, before—

“I love you,” He says.

The words come rushing out his lips, hurried and desperate. It shocks you how simply he puts it, like a sudden rest in the notes that takes you by surprise. He looks surprised too; horrified, really, that he’s just blurted that out. He swallows thickly, steeling his expression into something determined.

“I—“ you pause, the words caught in your throat, blood pounding in your ears. You think you tear up, but you can’t really tell when the whole world narrows down to Anthony Lockwood across from you in the kitchen of Portland Row, professing his love in the spur of the moment. You grow warm with affection, taking a step closer to him as the music of your singing heart drowns out everything but his words.

He takes a deep breath, his face pale with fear as he swallows and says quietly,, “Today, when I went down to the shops to get you these flowers, I met the really old man tending to them. Don’t look at me like that, he was really old, alright?”

“Anthony,” you scold quietly, tutting at him as you wrap your hands around his.

He bites the inside of his cheek before he keeps going. “Anyways he isn’t the point— I brought him up because he made me realise that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I never gave telling you a shot. He lived loving someone else until they died— even after they did, and if… if there was a chance I could have that with you, I wanted to take it. I can’t promise you that I’ll be alive for as long as you will be, but I can promise you that I will love you for everyday I live and breathe if you let me.”

“Anthony,” you start, breathlessly. You take his face in your hands and he puts the bouquet down to cover your hands with his. He looks so scared like this, fragile like glass in your hands and pale with nerves.

“I can’t promise you forever,” He says solemnly, “But I can promise you my heart for as long as it beats.”

You take a deep breath through your nose, and will yourself not to kiss him. Years down to minutes— minutes to seconds. The silence hangs like a winding note. You glance back quickly at the bouquet, picking out one of the jasmine flowers before sliding it behind his ear and resting your hands on his face.

“Do you remember the first flower I gave you?” You ask just as quietly. He shakes his head, cheeks rubbing against the skin of your palms. “We were… quite young at the time, and I must have been mad, because I stole it from the neighbour’s garden. Yes, the grumpy one, you remember her. Well, I ran straight over from all the way from home with this crumpled little thing in hand— stop giggling. I’m telling you an important story— and you lit up like a light. Cheeky little thing you were, finding a way to give it back to me when I got scolded the same day for stealing and I was awful sore about the whole thing.”

“You looked all sad,” He cut in, voice hoarse in a mumble, “It made me happy, so I wanted it to make you happy too.”

You laugh, just as breathless, “And it worked, Anthony. It’s still one of my favourite flowers. Did you know that? They were the first flowers I read up on when I learned flowers could have meanings.”

“What’d you find?” He asks, the nerves fading into a hopefulness that fills his eyes with stars. It’s helplessly endearing where you see them shine, nearly nose to nose with how close you’re holding him.

You hum and close your eyes, pushing your forehead against his. “We gave each other white jasmine flowers, that day. A lot of people say they mean purity or innocence, but the one that stuck out to me was that people say it meant “everlasting love” too. When I look back on it now, it must’ve been fate.”

“Cause I always loved you and you probably realised that with how stupid I get about you?”He wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you close.

You chuckle quietly, just as helplessly lost, “Not quite. I didn’t even think there was a chance you could love me back, though that does make everything a bit easier… because I’ve always loved you, Anthony.”

Like a child on Christmas day, Lockwood’s eyes grow wide; he’s helpless to the grin that splits his face. “Really?”

“I’m no liar, Anthony, and certainly not about this,” you laugh, unable to help yourself as you tip back and rest your nose lightly against his.

“No like— you mean it?” He asks, voice cracking with hope as he searches your face, “You love me? You love me?”

You’re helplessly endeared, helplessly in love and helplessly lost to it, so you just whisper back with a grin as wide, “Yes, Anthony. I love you.”

What little space between you both is gone in a second when he pushes his lips against yours. It’s a desperate thing, all relief and comfort and love pouring out. At some point, you’re both smiling too wide and too much for it to be anything more than just pushing your lips against each other’s and you pull away with a wet laugh.

He grins wider, and you didn’t think it was possible but he manages it. “I’m so glad, because if I had to go back to the shopkeeper with a terrible story about how I got rejected by the love of my life—“

You giggle and swat at his arm, wrapping your arms around him, “Of course that’s what you worry about. This is all a publicity stunt, yeah? To boost your ego.”

“Of course,” he says, with no weight to the words as he sniffs and blinks away the last of his tears, “Though that just means we should make it a bigger stunt and get married. I’ll even invite Kipps just to rub it in his face.”

You hum, helplessly amused, when the door slams open and George shamelessly walks in with at first his usual deadpan, then a pleased expression. From behind George, Lucy is brimming with happiness, smiling cheek to cheek.

“Gross,” George says, simply and without malice. He steps around you and Lockwood, patting you both on the back sincerely and pulling out pots and pans. It occurs to you a little late that he’s starting on supper. “Took you both a while to actually confess. Mental, the two of you.”

“It was cute,” Lucy says kindly, taking you from Lockwood (he does pout lightly, but she just sticks her tongue out at him) hugging you dear. “George just means that we’re both very happy you two finally got together. He was starting to go bald actually from pulling his hair out too much, look at his hairline—“

“You can’t even pretend like you weren’t too, Lucy.” George sends her a glare as she separates from you. Lockwood quickly fills the space at your side again and all but wraps himself around you. Lucy pats him on the back with a congratulatory smile.

“You can’t go bald before my wedding, George, that’d just ruin it,” you say, clicking your tongue as you reach over (not without struggling over Lockwood) and pat his curls into place. The pot nearly slips out of his hands while Lucy’s eyes grow big as saucers.

“Wedding?!?” They ask simultaneously. Lockwood giggles into your neck, the cheeky bastard.

“This one here,” you gesture at Lockwood with a look, “said we should get married since this whole thing is a publicity stunt or whatnot. Said he might even invite that Kipps bloke he hates.”

“That is the lamest proposal I have ever heard,” Lucy immediately cuts in, the most disappointed scowl pointed at Lockwood’s head.

“I’ve got to agree. You could absolutely do better than that, Lockwood. Also, Quill Kipps? Do you want to have start a fight at your wedding?” George asks, his back turned to everyone. You pull away from Lockwood to pick up the flowers, but not without him frowning as you do. He stops frowning as soon as you smile at him, though, before he turns his attention to Lucy and George when they both pretend to gag.

“I gave them flowers, a really sentimental bunch I think, then I had a good speech,” He says to Lucy first, who raises a brow at him.

He turns to George next. “I need to rub it in his face that he’s probably miserable and forever alone.”

“I thought it was gonna be a publicity stunt, not a revenge plot,” You mutter, clicking your tongue.

“I’m not letting you have a lame wedding, Lockwood, because that means they—“ she points to you “— will have a lame wedding and I will not let that happen.”

“But you’d let me have a lame wedding if it was just mine?” His face is scrunched in offence as he ‘discreetly’ wraps himself around you again.

“Yes,” Lucy and George say simultaneously.

“I’d marry you at a lame wedding.” You play with his hair where you can reach it, pressing a kiss to his forehead where he’s dumped it again on your shoulder. Lucy and George gag, Lockwood beams so bright you’d think he won the lottery that night.

They manage to convince you that it’s too dark out to leave (it was past curfew, the sun had set already) so you spend the night recounting everything you can with them until the stars had gone to sleep and the sun started rising.

The next day, he brings down the bouquet of carnations you’d first given him, and you mix both the bouquets into one. A year later, Portland Row becomes home to not only to the people living in it, but a garden full of flowers blooming with love, laughter, and a lot of hard work. White Jasmine flowers bloom on the veranda and a house of three becomes home to four.

A/N: Finally finished this series!! Whew, that was… hmm!! And just because I couldn’t add it to the story without it getting clunky, have these idk, headcanons? fun facts?:

Reader tells Lockwood all about the flowers after, and informs him about why the Jasmine flowers were so familiar

The grumpy neighbour reader stole the white jasmine flowers from was actually the old man gardener’s wife

Lockwood goes back to tell the old man, and they have a laugh about the whole thing

It is so hard to get one straight meaning for a flower, but if you dig enough you can find flowers that mean so many cute things:

Red carnations mean deep love and affection

Pink tulips mean caring and affection

White Jasmine flowers can mean many things but for this story I went with: Eternal love, persevering love, and new beginnings

Everyone knows red roses, but I also like to think Lockwood’s bouquet had thornless red roses because they mean love at first sight

Yes he one upped the reader even without knowing what all the flowers mean because he’s a competitive little freak (affectionate) and I love him

This series has been very dear to me, and I am especially thankful to @tangledinlove <3 Thank you for your kind reblogs, I hope you know I read them and always look forward to seeing how you find each part in the series even if I don’t respond to them <33333

Also @milesmorals asked me to tag her too!!

#portie writes fanfic #anthony lockwood x you #anthony lockwood x reader #lockwood x reader #lockwood x you

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irlkdj · 10 months

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Doksoo Analysis: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint [SPOILERS]

I’d like to talk about the relationship between Kim Dokja and Han Sooyoung and how I perceive it. At its core, I think their story portrays that when we really love someone—truly and fully—we are willing to give up our own happiness to ensure theirs. This is something we see from both Sooyoung and Dokja. Han Sooyoung may seem selfish at times, especially at the beginning of the novel, but that’s because we did not yet know at the time that she gave up each of her nights and slept away her days to save Kim Dokja. We see Kim Dokja constantly throwing his life away because he loves his companions—something he is often berated for. So yes, the two of them are the same in this aspect: I love you, and I will destroy anything that gets in the way of your path to happiness. I will uproot the world and empty oceans; I will shoot down the sun and grab the moon to give to you, so long as you are safe and happy. Kim Dokja and Han Sooyoung are not perfect people. And I think they see the faults in one another, and love even those pieces of themselves that the other hates. Han Sooyoung who hated Kim Dokja so much for sacrificing himself over and over again—and yet she ended up doing the same thing for him. Her memories, her time, her youth. She spent all that time ensuring the happiness of a little boy who thought he couldn’t be happy. We see in the epilogue that Han Sooyoung truly loves every part of Kim Dokja as she races after him in that train station. She reflects on his negative and positive traits positively:

“That was the exact same face of Kim Dokja she remembered.

The man who came to her 1863rd regression turn. The man who she wanted to see again. The detestable man with his own brand of ass-kissing. The man who lied really easily. The man who she enjoyed being around, since they could lie about something together and snicker among themselves.

‘----‘

The man, who didn't remember her.”

When Han Sooyoung even considers the possibility that Kim Dokja could really, truly be gone, she thought: “That was the sound of someone only living in their past finally letting go of that very past. Right at that moment, Han Sooyoung was overcome by the bizarre guilt of corruption, of betrayal.” Her regret of not being able to save him properly. All of her efforts wasted. But they weren’t wasted, not to Kim Dokja, who got to experience love, joy, friendship, and family because of Han Sooyoung. She created a world in which he could be happy. She crafted a universe where Kim Dokja could be loved just by being.. Kim Dokja. So they’re really in this constant loop. Han Sooyoung sacrifices herself to save Kim Dokja, Kim Dokja sacrifices himself to save the world she created. And then she tries everything in her power to get him back. And Kim Dokja continues to love that story she created for him:

“Not being able to comment did bum me out. I wanted to let Han Sooyoung know of my emotions one more time. To tell her that I could only come this far because of the story you gave me, that I loved your story more than anyone in this world.”

Kim Dokja loved her story. But people are stories too. Friends, families, lovers, strangers. We’re all stories in the end. Han Sooyoung and Kim Dokja. She wrote the story. He read it. They created a world together. And in the end, they tore it all down to ensure the happiness of those they loved. Because what is the point of such a world if Han Sooyoung cannot turn to her left and tease Kim Dokja. What is the point of such a world if Kim Dokja cannot take another joyride with Han Sooyoung, and get made fun of for screaming “I am the protagonist!”

I’ll leave with this. The last thing Han Sooyoung wished to do before her memories faded was to see Kim Dokja. Just to /see/ him. Can you grasp the weight of this action?

“Kim Dokja felt that sensation of touch on his shoulder and looked behind him.

However, the incoming waves of commuters heading to work swept him up, and he got pushed into the subway, instead.”

Just one last touch. One last glance. One last time—can I please see him again? Can I please see the man that I am about to ruin the world for? Can I please see that he is whole? That he is real? That he isn’t words behind a screen? I think this moment really displays just how much Han Sooyoung really.. loved Kim Dokja. Wholeheartedly and unapologetically. Just seeing him one more time before disaster struck, and knowing all that was about to ensue: that was her moment. The moment that made it all worth it. This man. This pathetic man. I will destroy the world for you. And I will not apologize for it. So don’t you ever apologize for existing, and don’t you ever forget how loved you are.

#orv #orv novel #orv omniscient reader's view point #kim dokja #omniscient reader's viewpoint #han sooyoung #irlkdj #orv analysis #doksoo

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star-girl-05 · 3 months

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Reader falls in love with doctor

I Like Like You

Doctor Who x reader

You knew you were doomed the moment you found yourself listening to his long-winded spiel about things you couldn’t begin to understand. In spite of this, you sat there, never interrupting, just nodding when he paused for a breath, checking if you were still listening. Of course you were you'd always pay attention to him.

Despite the fact that he had no idea, everything he did made you want him more. His obliviousness to your feelings was both annoying and a relief. You could only imagine the horror if The Doctor ever found out about your feelings. Everything would change between you too. The Doctor doesn't do romance. He might flirt but it's all harmless. You know that.

You know that nothing would ever happen between you and The Doctor. That didn’t make it any easier to try and get over him. Especially when you spent all of your time with him. Your whole life revolves around him, and when you're trying to get over someone that's not a good thing.

You just wanted to get over your crush, so you could continue to travel with him without your heart getting in the way. So you decided the best way to do that was to get with someone new. That someone ended up being a guy named Daniel. The two of you have been texting for a few weeks.

You're only now getting around to actually meeting him. Having convinced The Doctor to take a small break. He had no idea you planned on going on a date. He only realized that was your plan when you came walking out wearing a stunning black dress. Both his hearts stopped functioning for a moment. You looked absolutely ravishing, he let his eyes wander for only a moment before turning back to the console.

In his mind, the Doctor can recall the exact moment when he realized he was in love with you. The two of you were returning back to the Tardis after a dangerous adventure. Both you and The Doctor had a few cuts and bruises. Nothing life-threatening but you were still fussing about them.

He can still remember how focused you were when you changed his bandages. It was as if you were performing surgery and not cleaning a superficial wound. In that moment though when you were lecturing him about being safe, he realized just how much he needed you. How much he loves you.

His world stopped when he realized that fact. Things he once thought of as an impossibility were suddenly becoming possible. He never saw himself as settling down, planning to travel forever. If you asked him though, he would commit fully to the life. He’d get a nine-to-five, working to save up for a house with a picket fence. He would do anything and everything to make you happy. Maybe the two of you would have kids. That was a dangerous thought, one that made his hearts race.

That was all a silly dream though, completely hypothetical. He would never tell you his feelings, you deserved better than him. So he’ll just admire you from afar.

Right now though having seen you in that dress he wants to do much more than admire you. “Where are you headed dressed like that?” He tries his best to seem casual as he asks but he's nervous. Nervous you're going to say a date, which is really the most likely answer.

“I’m going on a date”, a date with a man that isn’t him. This is what he wants; he consoles himself, but it does nothing to make him feel better.

“Oh”

Oh, what is that supposed to mean? He turns away before you can decipher the look on his face. Secretly you were hoping to get some sort of reaction out of The Doctor. Nothing huge, maybe just a blush, something to show you that he at least thought you were attractive.

“I’ll be back later, so don’t wait up” Your steps are slow as you make your way to the door. Repeating affirmations that the perfect remedy for getting over The Doctor is a night out with a handsome guy.

The Doctor watched you leave his knuckles turning white from how tight his grip was on the console. He stayed like that for a few minutes staring longingly at the door. He wants you to have a good time just not with anyone that isn’t him. He hated himself for thinking that but the more he stood alone in the tardis the more thoughts like that plagued him. Until he can't think rationally anymore, grabbing his phone and dialing your number.

It’s been ten minutes. You and Daniel are just about to sit down when you get the call. The Doctor never calls, he barely uses a phone unless it’s an emergency. You give your date an apologetic look telling him you’ll just be a moment.

“Is something the matter?”

“No… I nevermind” he quickly hangs up the phone leaving you even more perplexed. You redialed his number only for it to go straight to voicemail. You tried to text him only to be left on unseen. Why isn’t he answering? You begin to panic knowing The Doctor there's no telling what could be the matter. You say a quick goodbye to Daniel before running to the tardis.

You're out of breath and your feet ache when you reach the Tardis. The sigh of relief you let out when you saw the Tardis is still there. You quickly open the door only to be greeted by The Doctor fiddling with the console. His head popped up at the sound of the door opening. “This is a surprise. What are you doing back so early?” he gave you a goofy smile, one you might admire if you hadn’t run all the way here.

“I’m back because I thought something had happened to you. Do you not know how to answer a phone?"

“Oh that's what that ringing was I thought there was something wrong with the tardis”, he knew it was his phone he just couldn’t bring himself to answer it. Having no excuse for his random call. Though knowing his lack of response got you this worried made both his hearts skip a beat.

“Are you kidding me? I left my date just because you can’t distinguish the sound of a cell phone ringing and the tardis?!?”

“I’m sorry, I’ll know better next time."

“Good, I’ll see you later” you give a glare. “Don’t call” the Doctors eyes widen as you open the Tardis doors. He thought this meant you’d cancel the date.

“You're still going?” He tries not to sound as desperate as he feels.

“Yes luckily Daniel hasn’t been scared off by me abruptly leaving”

“Are you sure? I mean you're already back here and you know we could just go on an adventure” he was already fiddling with the console but you're quick to stop him. Grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

“We can go on an adventure some other time” he gives you a pitiful nod a pout resting on his beautiful face. “I’ll see you later Doctor” he watches you walk out eyes drifting over your figure. A feeling of dread overtook him. He felt like he was losing you. What if your date with Daniel goes well and you decide to stop traveling with him? The thought has him running after you. He catches up to you quickly both his hearts aching. “Doctor this better be important."

“It is” you give him a look to continue telling him Daniel is waiting for you. He takes a deep breath; he can’t believe he's about to say this. “Darling, don’t go on that date."

You rolled your eyes. You wanted a reaction out of him but you were finding this annoying. All you wanted was to sit down, eat some nice food and have a nice conversation with a cute guy.

“Just listen, I like you” your eyes widen, you think you must have heard him wrong. There's no way the Doctor said he likes you too; he must mean in a friendly way.

“I like you too”

“No, I mean I like like you, in a kissing type of way” his explanation has you giggling.

“You like like me in a kissing way” you reiterate with a smile blooming on your face.

“Yes” your heart is about to explode. You’ve only dreamed of something like this happening. You're immediately pulling him by his jacket pressing your lips against his. It's everything you thought it was going to be.

You pull away softly panting, “I like like you in a kissing way too” he laughs pulling you back into him.

You texted Daniel apologizing for cancelling on him and informing him of your new relationship.

#doctor who #tenth doctor #doctor who x reader #doctor who fanfiction #doctor who fandom #tenth doctor x reader #doctor ten #doctor ten x reader #the tenth doctor #tenth doctor fanfiction #10th doctor #the doctor #Doctor who fandom

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jiminguuk · 1 year

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Thoughts on Buddy Daddies

1. I work at a daycare and every time I see someone say they dislike Miri because she’s obnoxious, annoying, etc…I just think they have never been around a child that is 3-4 years old who gets attention. Kids love attention. so yeah, Miri is wild at first because she’s getting attention from people she really likes and trusts for the first time in her life. She wants to do everything they do, know everything, see everything. She’s 4, she wants to learn. Kids are annoying, cause problems, don’t listen because they are not fully aware of their surroundings or the consequences. It’s really not a hard concept. I think the creators did a fantastic job of creating a realistic child.

2. I think we, as a society, need to learn the difference between queerbaiting and queer-coding. We also need to understand people will view content from their own pov. You see Kazuki and Rei. Some might see best friends, life partners, soul mates, lovers, boyfriends, etc. It simply doesn’t matter. No one is right nor wrong. If you see them as straight, great. See them as queer? That’s also great. However it is so very important to not discredit the concept of gay people existing. Even in a conservative society, gay people exist.

3. No one should compare Buddy Daddies and Spy x Family. It’s like comparing DC and Marvel. Similar, but different in content, plot and characters. And that’s all I’ll say on that discourse.

4. I don’t want to see Boss get a redemption arc. He doesn’t deserve it and we have yet to see any of his backstory. To me, it doesn’t matter. That kind of plot is unrealistic to me. Some are just bad people in the world and they will always be bad. I think we’re more likely to see Mr. Last words have a change of heart rather than boss, simply because we have seen more of him.

5. I don’t think Kyu is going to betray the family. If he does it would be part of an elaborate plan to save them. I think we’ll see Rei come to save them for plot and character purposes. Or perhaps Miri will by some kind of random accident.

6. I am terrified that Miri’s mom will somehow take her back in the end :( I would lose my GD mind if that happens lmao.

#buddy daddies #kazuki kurusu #miri unasaka #rei suwa #kyutaro kugi

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saintrocklee · 2 years

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title: Need prompt: I’ll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you pairing: itachi x reader publish date: 09.08.22 non-massacre AU

“Why are you here?”

“To see you.”

dedication: to anon; who asked for this prompt like three decades ago. i love you dearly & i am so sorry. i hope the wait was worth it. warnings: none! just pure fluff & a sprinkle of angst. itachi is, in my bestie @chanfictions words, “an aloof house cat.” we love that for him.

The chill from the early morning’s air has the hair on your arms rising, but you don’t move. You’re waiting for the sun to fully come up, so you can climb back into your apartment window and sleep. Sleeping in the dark was difficult after missions; the weight of the things you’ve done seemed heavier at night.

There’s an irritating itch on your neck and you distantly think it might be some blood you missed, so maybe you’ll shower before you crawl into bed. Your latest mission plays back on a loop and you can barely hold in the cringe that comes with remembering what you did. Typically an assignment like that would require some form of comfort from your team afterwards. A quick lunch. A light training session. But they’re all out of the village and you don’t think you have the required energy to go and find anyone else to lean on.

Someone specific came to mind, but you quickly dismiss the thought. You hadn’t seen your old friend in weeks and you know clan duties on top of whatever the ANBU required of him left him out of the village for days at a time. You were busy as well, and you didn’t seek him out as much as you used to. There was a confusing swell of feelings in your chest regarding the man in question and you weren’t in the mood to try and sort them all out. So you let the divide between you two fester. Grow.

Maybe one day you’d process your feelings. Maybe you’d even speak to him about them. Not today though. Not for awhile.

You’re not sure if you’re being protective of yourself, or a coward. Probably both.

It’s crippling, the loneliness that seems to gut you in this moment. You’re not used to sitting still like this, to being stagnant. Just a rare moment, that you’re separated from your teammates and friends, with nothing pressing to attend to.

And your successful mission, replaying on a loop.

The blood, the pleas. This one will haunt you for awhile. Your brain is starting to buzz, to tune everything out, and you think you’ll get a moment of peace while the sun finishes rising.

You hear him before you sense him.

“I didn’t know you’d be back so early.”

The silk in his voice is deeper than you remembered. As always, it settles right under your lungs, and you can already feel the warmth start to spread through your chest. His arrival was completely silent, and you idly wonder how long he’d been standing behind you.

“Keeping tabs on me?” You ask dully, your eyes not once leaving the view in front of you. The sun was just about to peak above the surface and you didn’t want to miss it. You’d been waiting for awhile for it to come up.

Itachi settles himself down next to you and it takes more control than you thought for you to not immediately turn toward him. You’ve found that your last few encounters have been more heartbreaking for you than you’d anticipated, and the storm of feelings you’ve kept a lid on for years begins to swirl.

“Your mission was successful, I take it?” He evades your question easily, which typically meant that he had information he didn’t want you to know. That he was keeping something from you.

If you were less tired, you’d dig your heels in. Instead, you shrug.

It’s quiet between you two for a moment as the sun continues to rise, until Itachi breaks it with another question.

“What do you need?”

He asks it quietly, seriously, and it blooms butterflies in your chest. It’s a question that defines your friendship, a question that is only asked when the other is in visible need of help. You’ve lost count of how many times Itachi has saved you from yourself by asking. There’s a lump forming in your throat and it hits you, right then, how much you’ve missed him.

You wished it was strictly platonic.

“I can’t stop seeing them.” You whisper back, hating the way your voice cracks. You’re greeted with more silence before Itachi stands. The sun has now broken through the surface so you turn your head to finally look at him. He’s devastatingly beautiful as always, and the early morning hues only add to it. He doesn’t have his Sharigan activated, and his hair is tied back at the base of his neck like always. The soft look he’s giving you leaves you feeling a bit breathless, and you find yourself trying to memorize him in that moment.

He reaches a hand out to you and you take it, sliding your fingers along his palm before he tightens his hold and helps pull you up. You wait for him to drop your hand, but he continues to pull until you’re standing close; too close to be socially appropriate. His eyes flick to your neck, to the dried blood that’s no doubt spattered there, and they trail down slowly. You think he might be looking for more, all while his thumb starts to lightly rub the skin on top of your hand.

“You need a shower, and then we’ll have breakfast.” He states and you frown in response. Itachi, of course, notices immediately and his thumb stops it’s slow caress.

“You don’t need to stay.” Your words are still quiet, like your voice has forgotten how to be strong. Loud. The look you receive is borderline chastising.

“But I will.” He counters, and you feel your lips tug upward without your permission. He drops your hand and takes a step back, to give you room to climb down. You look at him for a moment and nod, feeling very grateful and not as lonely as you did before.

“Thank you.”

A few days go by before he comes to you again. This time you’re inside your apartment, deep cleaning your horribly disgusting kitchen. You hardly used the damn thing, yet dust seemed adamant on collecting there, and your fridge was a disaster. You’re almost done when you hear your window opening and turn with a frown, only to be met with Itachi climbing into your living room. In his ANBU uniform. Covered in what you hope is dirt.

“Itachi?” You call out, moving from the small space of your kitchen. His feet meet your carpet and he stands, only to sway slightly which sets off warning bells in your head. You move to his side immediately and steady him with your arm around his waist. He leans into you, furthering deepening your panic, and you move him to your couch. Itachi sits down harder than normal, almost like he’s collapsing into it, and tilts his head back with a soft groan. There’s blood and dirt caked to him and his uniform like a second skin, and you crouch down in front of him.

“Are you hurt?” You ask hurriedly, looking for any signs of fresh blood to signify that he was actively bleeding. You’re answered with what sounds like a negative grunt and you frown, eyes flicking upward to look at his face. He’s still got his head resting against the back of your couch, eyes closed, leaving his neck completely exposed. It’s a rare sight indeed, to see Itachi Uchiha so open like this, and his voice is slow when he speaks again.

“I overexerted myself.”

Okay. That explained why he practically stumbled into your apartment. It didn’t explain anything else.

“And you’re here and not at the hospital because ... ?”

Itachi finally moves his head up, only to look down at you with a cocked eyebrow. Like it should be obvious. Like you were the one being ridiculous.

You’d strangle him if you thought you could move fast enough. But you’re still concerned, because if Itachi came to you then that meant something was wrong.

“What do you need?” You ask, your tone dipping into something more serious. The cocky brow relaxes itself and Itachi stares at you with a tired, almost numb look. He doesn’t answer, and if you’re being truthful he never really did when you asked. But you know what he needs. He needed to stay, to not be around his clan or doctors or the Hokage or anyone else.

He needed to be left alone.

You nod once you understand.

“Okay. I was just about to heat up some dinner, but if you’re going to be here you need to shower. You smell horrible.”

You stand and can’t help but smile when you’re greeted with an amused snort. Good. Normalcy. You move back to your kitchen, missing the way Itachi’s eyes follow you and the small, tired smile on his own face.

It strikes you as odd, when you run into Itachi yet again only a couple days later. This time you find him, standing on top of your apartment building. You’d sensed him when you were walking home, and if there was one thing you knew about Itachi - he only let someone sense him when he wanted them to.

He’s giving you a choice you realize as you maneuver yourself to the roof. You could have easily gone into your apartment and ignored him, but that was silly.

You’d never do that.

His back is to you when you finally see him and you stop when you’re only a few feet away from him.

“Hey.” You call out, and he turns his head to glance at you. He raises that elegant brow expectantly and you shake your head as you continue to move forward, till you’re standing next to him.

“Hello.” He greets and you shoot him an amused look.

“Care to explain why you’re on my roof, Itachi?”

He glances around, brow furrowing, before turning his full body to face you.

“I didn’t realize you owned this building.”

His retort pulls a chuckle out of you and you watch as his mouth curls into a smirk.

“Funny. You should quit your day job, take your jokes on the road.”

Amusement sparkles in his eyes.

“Would you join me, if I did?”

You’re taken aback by his question and try not to show it on your face.

“Can’t. I’m too busy owning the building.”

Your comeback is lame and a bit breathless. Itachi hums, cocking his head ever so slightly as he considers you. You’re not sure what exactly he’s looking for or even looking at, and decide to try and question him again.

“Seriously though. Why are you here?”

“To see you.”

The bold bluntness of his statement sends you reeling. You blink dumbly and swallow at the way his face changes. Almost as if he’s relaxing. His eyes turn softer as they meet your own and the butterflies you kept carefully hidden were starting to escape and make a mess of your insides.

“We’ve seen each other a lot lately.” You murmur, hoping he answers the unspoken question. Why? Why did he want to see you? Why did he seem to be around more? Did something change?

But Itachi never did anything unless he wanted to, never answered a question he didn’t feel like answering, and his next smile shows teeth.

“Yes.” He agrees easily, much to your disappointment.

Your face falls into a deadpan and you shake your head in amusement as well as frustration.

“Come on in then, you can make yourself some tea. I’ve got laundry to fold, so don’t expect me to be very entertaining.”

Itachi hums and follows you down, that smirk still present on his face.

You’re so tired you think you might collapse before you can open your door. The keys in your hand are fairly uncomplicated but your fingers aren’t cooperating and you watch as they slip out of your hands and fall to the ground. You’d just finished another mission and had to spend what felt like hours at the hospital. One of your teammates was exposed to a toxin and they needed to do blood tests on all of you, as well as scrub you clean, before you could leave. Your hair was still wet and the borrowed clothes you had on were too big, leaving you uncomfortable and cold.

And now your keys were on the floor.

You bend to pick them up when your door creaks open. You freeze and snap your head up, only to be greeted by Itachi standing in your doorway. Inside of your apartment. His hair is pulled back but he’s missing his forehead protector and is dressed in what you can only describe as civilian clothing. Your brain and body feel like they’re lagging as you stand slowly and the noise that comes out of your mouth is confused. Itachi arches a brow and moves to the side, allowing you entry, and you walk in before turning to watch him close and lock your door behind you.

“What are you ...” Your questions trails off into nothing as he carefully takes your keys and pack from you, setting them on your kitchen counter like he did this everyday. You blink, your brain still trying to catch up with everything, and Itachi speaks - his voice like sweet honey in your ears.

“You’re exhausted.”

It’s a question that wasn’t a question. You blink again.

“Long mission.” You reply distractedly as he moves toward you, hands coming to rest on your back and elbow.

“You were due back sooner.”

You frown in response. How did he know that?

“Got held up at the hospital. Why are you here?”

Itachi hums in that annoying way of his as he presses you towards your bedroom, his thumb beginning to slowly stroke the small of your back through your thin, borrowed shirt. He hadn’t bothered to turn any of your lamps on and the setting sun shining through your blinds is the only source of light throughout your small apartment.

“To see you.”

You’d roll your eyes if you were positive they’d stay in your head.

“Did you break in?”

There’s a snort from somewhere behind you.

“You’d need adequate locks to define entering your home as breaking in.”

You snort tiredly and feel your shoulders sag when your bed comes into view. Yes, yes, yes. Perfect.

“Still.” You mutter, kicking off the sandals you loaned from the hospital into the corner. Itachi lets go of your elbow but keeps his hand on your back, thumb still stroking you through your shirt. It felt nice and grounded you enough to press him again for some kind of answer.

“Why are you here to see me?”

His movements stop and you turn your head to look at him. His gaze is focused on your bed, his head turning towards you before his eyes do. The hand on your back moves to the side of your face, and you freeze as he curls a finger through your damp hair. It sends a jolt of electricity through you, offering you clarity where you previously had non.

Itachi was in your apartment. Itachi had been waiting for you. Itachi had, once again, sought you out. You bring your own hand up to rest on his forearm.

“What do you need?”

His shoulders settle at your question, as if he’s been waiting for you to ask. His hand leaves your hair to hang limply at his side, causing your own hand to drop.

“To stay.”

You inhale slowly at his words, their meaning settling heavy on you. Your hand twitches forward, brushing his own, and you find yourself searching his eyes. They’re so dark, bottomless, and tired. You nod slowly, realizing that his request is something you both need.

“Okay.”

Your voice cracks and you swallow, taking a step back toward your bed. He follows, as if on autopilot, and soon you’re both under the comforter facing each other. It’s not as awkward as you thought it would be, and the annoying flutter of wings in your tummy is beating a ferocious rhythm inside of you. You’re physically tired, but your brain has woken itself up since arriving back home, and you consider the man in front of you carefully.

“What’s going on?” You question softly and Itachi regards you with a serious look. The darker oranges and reds coming from your window bathe him in a soft light and you can pick out each individual hair on his head, each individual lash above his eyes. He’s truly beautiful, handsome in a heartbreaking sort of way, and you almost miss his response.

“I had a dream you died.”

It takes you a full second to register what he said, and your mouth parts in surprise.

“When?”

“Several weeks ago.” He pauses, eyes unfocusing like he was remembering. “It was ... unpleasant.”

You frown and move your hand to cup his face. He lets you, even closes his eyes at the contact, and your chest swells.

“I’m sorry.” You offer quietly, brushing your thumb over his cheekbone. This dream obviously disturbed him deeply, and you wonder if that’s the reason for all the sudden visits. He hums and you’re distantly reminded of a cat purring while being pet. It makes you smile.

“It’s my apology you should be accepting. I’ve been a coward.”

Your thumb halts it’s movement and your smile fades.

“A coward?” You echo, confusion evident. Itachi opens his eyes, holding your gaze with a serious look.

“I purposefully distanced myself from you.”

The warmth in your chest halts and you feel what feels like ice start to prickle at your fingers. You had just thought he was busy, that you were both just busy, and to know he did it on purpose ...

“Why?”

You want to keep the hurt from showing but you can’t hide the way your voice wavers. Itachi doesn’t move, doesn’t turn his gaze away, and his tone turns to honey, to silk wrapped in velvet.

“Because of my feelings for you.”

Oh.

You open your mouth to ... respond? Gasp? Laugh? Yell? To do anything but freeze, which was what you were currently doing. Your brain had turned into mush, your body was collapsing in on itself, and your heart and lungs were somehow tightening but also moving at an impossible place.

Because of my feelings for you.

Itachi seems minutely amused by your reaction and turns his head to brush his lips against your fingers.

“I have dreamt of you often, these past few months. It was foolish to avoid you, to try and create distance where none was needed. It took seeing you broken and dying to realize my mistake. My hope is that you will forgive me, with time. I have tried to make it up to you, to ease back into the friendship we once had, but I find myself wanting more.”

You’re pretty sure you’ve stopped breathing. He turns his head to meet your gaze again.

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult, to be away from you.”

Okay, yes. You’ve definitely stopped breathing.

Itachi pauses, to give you time to absorb his words, before speaking again.

“If I am being too forward, you may tell me.”

You blink.

“It’s not ...” You start, frowning at the way you’ve just decided to lose all ability to think. Or talk. You pull your hand away to rest on the bed in between you and start again, fingers digging into your sheets.

“I’m ... processing.” You answer, lowering your gaze. You can’t keep looking at him if you want to be able to formulate actual words. He says nothing in response, giving you time to think, and you eventually speak again.

“I think I’ve loved you for a very long time.” You start, still unable to look at him. You feel him stiffen next to you and find yourself taking a deep breath before continuing.

“I understand, though. I’ve been avoiding you too, I think. Caring for someone in our line of work can be damning. It can end horribly, or never even begin. I think we were both cowards, in a way. I also think you’re a bit of an ass, but that’s more of a fact than an opinion.” A breathy chuckle interrupts you and you smile softly, eyes floating upwards to meet his again.

“I think that you can stay … however long you’d like.”

Itachi’s eyes flick down to your mouth and stay there as he responds.

“I’d like that.”

You smile and try to fight against the heavy weight currently making itself at home on your eyelids. Sleep was calling your name urgently and you fight back a yawn. There’s another breathy chuckle in your ear and it takes you a moment to realize Itachi had moved closer, even going so far as to loosely wrap an arm around your waist. His fingers are trailing soft patterns against your back and you press yourself into his chest, deciding that anything else can wait until tomorrow.

“Sleep.” You murmur into his collarbone with a smile, “I’ll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you.”

Itachi hums a tired laugh and you feel something soft brush against your forehead as you drift off into an easy sleep.

#i love him your honor!!!!#itachi uchiha x you #itachi uchiha x reader #itachi uchiha fanfic #itachi x reader #itachi x you #itachi drabble #itachi fanfiction #ask prompt #anon bby this is for YOU

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itsnothingofinterest · 10 months

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So, overall thoughts on 393 & predictions for 394:

I really liked 393 for the most part. I do have one gripe/concern with the current situation (and I’m gonna talk a lot more about that than anything else; that’s just how the internet is sometimes); but overall I really liked a lot of what this chapter did.

First off, the flashback to the League; the camaraderie, the stupid jokes, Dabi being a pretentious jerk who thinks these people aren’t his friends when they totally are. It’s all just *chef’s kiss* perfect, no notes. Other’s have gushed enough for this scene and analyzed all the interesting things it says about these characters so I’ll just add:

“Dudes...Being Dudes!” Can’t believe I didn't see that until now.

But moving on from the “dudes”: Uraraka has earned my praise for having done easily the best to reach out to her villain of any hero kid in the entire arc; not least of which because she’s the only one having any back and forth, and because she seems to be genuinely trying to help Toga. Uraraka’s position isn’t quite perfect, still room to improve for reasons we’ll get too; but she has by far done the best at talking to her villain out of the entire class thus far. Her blood offering™ especially is really big for Toga.

Although, briefly moving on to predictions for the next chapter: my hottest take of a theory is that...I’m honestly not sure how Toga will take Uraraka’s offer. Because having someone in her life who understands her and is willing to offer her blood was, once upon a time, everything Toga ever wanted. But now there’s a bigger question on her mind that Uraraka hasn’t really answered properly yet.

What will she do with Toga? What will happen to Toga if she goes along with whatever Uraraka wants her to do now?

This is basically my biggest and only remaining concern for this plot-line: Toga still absolutely believes she’ll be sent to death row if she’s captured, and her prospects genuinely don’t look good from an objective view. And when Toga brings this up, Uraraka…doesn’t really go against her claim. I mean she makes clear she doesn’t want to murder Toga like Hawks did Jin; but her still going to death row seems a part “the obvious truth for both of [them]” and she “can’t wipe [Toga’s] slate clean”. So what will/can she do for Toga’s very real fear for her life?

It's possible Uraraka doesn’t have any good answer for that. I know some readers are interpreting the dialogue to think she does, that she’ll keep Toga from going to prison if Toga gives up; but putting myself in Toga’s shoes, it doesn’t sound like she’s willing or ready to go against the legal grain like that. And if she doesn’t then, for as much as she’d like that lifetime’s worth of blood, Toga may not give up here if she thinks her lifetime will be a few weeks that way. Heartbreaking as that’d be for her. (Which makes the drama queen in me consider this outcome even more.)

And also just in general, when the Todoroki’s fumbled saving Dabi as bad as they did; I can’t help but doubt Ochako’s chances of fully reaching to Toga in turn just a little.

Although…all that being said; Uraraka’s specific terms on the blood offering™ aren’t for Toga’s surrender. That’s just all of us reading between the lines, and maybe even jumping the gun. Ochako is asking to talk about love, so there may be a twist to expectations there where Toga still fulfills her end of the bargain without just giving up the fight for her life in exchange for blood.

What might come from that I can’t say. Well besides maybe discussing Uraraka’s feelings for Deku but I don’t know anything interesting that’d come from that. Although, maybe it’ll come back around to Toga’s fear for her life if she brings up her loved one, Twice, getting killed by a hero and who Toga is trying to avenge. And maybe this’ll get Uraraka to contemplate the kind of double standard she & her side have been applying to which actions warrant consequences. I mean if Hawks & Endeavor got off scot-free for their wrong doings (not to mention the currently ongoing Operation: Kill Shigaraki); maybe being lenient with the League in turn would be fair. That’s one way I think their conversation could go anyway.

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docholligay · 2 months

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this was all @thoughtfulfuri's dream i just basically wrote it down. It's not great, but it's somethin, and I'm happy with that!

I don’t like to lie to you.

It’s not who I am, even to people I don’t like, and you’re one of the people I like very much. I never cultivated a real gift for it, though, like me and most things, I can manage, in a pinch. This is a pinch, if there ever was one.

“It’ll be fine. ‘Ow long ‘ave you know me? I can survive anything, it’s just that you need to ‘urry, right? Right, that’s all. I’ll be waiting.”

See, the problem is, you’re a bit of an idealist, when it comes to the subject of me. I suppose I don’t blame you, since mostly it works out. I can survive anything, because I’ve survived everything. So far. I’ve been ripped through time twice, shot, all sorts of things that were meant to kill me, and just didn’t. I lived, anyhow. I do.

Maybe I still will. Maybe I’m not lying. I don’t want to be lying, I don’t want to die, but I am fully capable of assembling evidence and coming up with a decent idea of the situation. Things have looked bad for me before, but Win, that’s the thing about flipping a coin. Coming up heads doesn’t make heads or tails more likely. It’s just..chance.

“I can’t leave you, Lena.”

“Well, you can’t take me neither. They ‘ave me CA. Couldn’t if we wanted to, love, so you just take the escape, and, and then you’ll come back.”

I didn’t lie, then. I couldn’t leave if I wanted to. This cage is trapping me here, and keeping me alive. What’s that saying, between the devil and deep blue sea? Well, I’ve been to the bottom of the sea more than once, and it’s cold and it’s lonely and I spent the whole time wishing I’d died instead, so I might as well try the devil.

She will kill me, though. I’m done for. I’ll be lucky if all she does is kill me. Now that you’re gone she’ll be able to convince them it’s all can be done with me. That the risk is too high to keep me alive. She will get permission to dismantle me brick by brick, and I’m trying not to imagine what that’s going to feel like. I can’t imagine it, because I need you to go, and for you to go, I need you to think I’m not afraid.

“I can wait, I can work into the--”

“No! You can’t, Winston! This is the only chance either of us ‘ave! Please! You will just doom us both.”

I’m annoyed with you, right? I’m not afraid, just annoyed, because you’ll come back. And you will. I know you will, I’ve never doubted you, same as I knew you’d be looking when Doomfist sent me spiraling. It’s just I’ll be gone by then. The gravestone at East London has been carved for years, but I’ve never laid in it. So that’ll be a new experience. It’ll save you all the trouble of deciding what to do.

“Are you sure?”

You sounded so strained. The plastic at the wall of my cage is cheap and foggy, and I can just barely see your eyes. You’ve always taken care of me. I hope I’ve done the same. I put my hand up on the plastic of the wall, and gave a big grin.

“I’ve never been more certain of anything in all me life, Win. Go. Come back, quick as you can. I’m waiting and the food ‘ere is rubbish.”

“Okay. okay.”

It was almost a whisper. I looked up at the clock, at the time drawing in when the rescue crew would be in position, and Winston would be safe. I could know I’d done that at least, as well as sit and plan the thousand annoying and nasty things I would say while I was being tortured to death. I hope I die before she comes up with a single good comeback. I hope she gets angry thinking about it in her shower the next day. I hope someone is sitting in the corner writing them down so I can have a big article, maybe even a pamphlet, titled, ‘Lena Oxton Died Very Brave and Also Funny, One Liners on Page Eleven, Nation Mourns Star Pilot’s Sick Burns.’

“Win. It’s time.”

“I love you, Lena. I’m so sorry.”

I wanted to tell you so many things right then. I wanted to tell you I loved you, and to take care of Em. Let her take care of you. I wanted to tell you to watch after Fareeha, who will take this personally whatever she says, and how all that rage she just tamps down inside her is going to pop, and without me there, I’m afraid no one will be able to help her. To let everyone have fun at Christmas. I don’t want a ruined Christmas, never on my account. Tell the little ones I love them. It was a good life, tell everyone, even if I wanted a bit more time. I always want more, don’t I? Tell Florrie I wasn’t afraid, she’ll worry I was. I hope she hadn’t started on my jumper.

Tell Emily to find someone else. I’ll be offended if she doesn’t, tell her that, I wanted to say.

But I couldn’t say any of that. Because then, you wouldn’t leave. I couldn’t say goodbye, because you couldn’t say it.

“You can thank me by ‘aving some takeaway ready. I could murder an Indian right now.”

You smiled, a little and I’ll take that as victory. Then you did what I bloody well told you to and scuttled back to where the rescue crew was going to enter. There was a lot of noise, and fire, but the swearing I heard over the crackle of the radio tells me that you made it. I know that you’re safe. A guard has come to make sure I’m still here. I can hear voices in the hallway, and I hear ‘Tracer,’ and the unlocking of the laboratory next door tells me what’s coming next.

I don’t regret it. My only other choice was to let you die with me, and I would never do that to you. What a payment that would be, for everything you’ve done. I’m not built that way, and so I apologize for the lie. I knew they would never get here in time. I hope Ang lies too, I hope she tells you they killed me quickly. I’ve seen her do it before. Lies can be the greatest kindness some of us ever know.

I’ll tell you a truth here, though, in my head, where you won’t hear it.

I am a little afraid.

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spookyscarydemonbabe · 2 years

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Adventures in Babysitting

A/N- I have never in my life wanted kids but Eddie gives me the WORST case of baby fever🫣

Summary- Eddie needs your help after he agrees to watch his neighbors kid

Genre- Fluff

Warnings- Mentions of pregnancy (not the reader)

Tag List- @imagine-all-the-imagines @hellfirewh0re @paola-carter @whiplaaaaaaaaash @ladyapplejackdnd @thatlonelypieceoftoast @efvyqrs

Words- 3.3k

(ugh i’m so upset i couldn’t find the gif i used before 😭 it was so cute)

You sat at the kitchen table finishing up whatever was left of your homework from yesterday. College was definitely a lot harder than all your teachers from high school said, but it made life a whole lot easier when you got to pick your classes. Thankfully during high school you were pretty responsible with your money, saving up whenever you could to afford to send yourself to college right after graduation. Nowhere too fancy, just a local community college, but it was nice being able to still hang out with your friends during the week and still have time to work and see Eddie.

You figured he was off with the guys, at band practice or doing one of their campaigns like they always did, it was Friday night after all. And those nerds did love getting deep into their campaigns and play late into the night. It was only about 7:30, so at this point they were probably at the halfway point.

Sighing, you closed your notebooks and put them back into your bag before the kitchen phone rang.

You stood from your seat and leaned onto the wall as you pulled it off of the handset and put it to your ear, furrowing your brow as you could hear a baby crying,

“Hello?”

“(y/n)? Oh thank god,” It was Eddie, and he sounded frantic, “listen i need you to come over and help me with this.”

You shook your head in disbelief, not fully understanding what was happening over on Eddie’s side,

“Help? With what? And why does it sound like you have a baby?! Are you babysitting?”

“I’m not babysitting! One of my neighbors asked if i’d watch her kid while she went out to do some stuff, she said she’d pay me so i told her i’d watch… I think her name’s Beth.”

You giggled to yourself,

“Sweetie… that’s babysitting. And it’s nice of you to watch her baby while she’s out but what do you need my help for?”

“You babysat a lot in high school, i figured you’d know how to stop her crying better than i can. She’s been like this nonstop for 10 minutes and i don’t know what’s wrong!”

You rolled your eyes and sighed,

“Ok fine, i’ll be over in 10 minutes. Just hold her and sit on the couch until i get there, gently rock her back and forth to try and calm her down.”

You hung up the phone and quickly grabbed your bag and keys, turning out the lights as you get into your car and sped down the road to the trailer park.

It was surprising that someone trusted Eddie with a baby, and you knew he really had no experience with kids. No one ever really trusted him as a babysitter until his name was cleared, but even still, people were wary of him. He had told you before about one of his neighbors, Jennifer, a young mom who was only a few years older than the two of you, and from everything he’s said she seemed like such a kind person. And she must trust Eddie a decent amount to leave her baby with him.

As you parked your car in front of the trailer, it was eerily quiet around. The gravel crunching under your shoes, the crickets chirping in the grass, it was the calm before the storm. You walked up the steps and knocked on the door, waiting for Eddie to let you in like he always did. He opened the door and your eyes widened.

His hair was pulled back but it was still messy on top of his head, the shirt he was wearing had a little bit of spit up on the shoulder, and a tiny baby was being held in his arms. Her little hands balled up into fists as she whined and cried in her purple onesie that was a bit dirtied up from her spit up. You could see the exhaustion in his eyes,

“Thank god you’re here, what do i do?” You stepped in and closed the door behind you as Eddie went back to sit on the couch, rocking her in his arms.

“How long have you had her?”

“Only an hour, she was fine earlier! I mean she pulled at my hair so i had to put it back but i don’t know what made her start crying-“

“Jennifer’s her mom right? Did she give you a diaper bag or something?” You looked around and spotted an unfamiliar bag on the kitchen counter, quickly going to grab it and bring it into the living room, rummaging through it. You pulled out a small, soft blanket, one of her baby bottles, a new onesie to change her into, and everything you would need to change out her diaper, “I’ll take her off your hands for a bit, you lay that mat out and get all the diaper stuff set up around it and i’ll try to calm her down a bit.” You gently scooped her up into your arms and Eddie did exactly as you said as you held her close to you, petting her back to calm her as you gently bounced up and down, softly whispering to her as Eddie finished up.

“Ok, it’s all set up. Now what?”

“Now, we’re gonna change her,” You gently laid her out onto the mat and undid the buttons on her onesie, “and you can change your shirt and feed her when we’re done.”

As you started to undo the little elastics on her diaper, Eddie cringed and covered his nose, making you giggle.

“Ugh, thats her?!”

“Yes it’s her! You have to check her diaper like every 30 minutes, babies can’t really control when they go.” You cleaned her up and handed him the dirty diaper to toss, “Here, go throw this one away while i get her dressed, and then you go change.”

As he walked back into his room after tossing the dirty diaper, you slipped Beth into a new, clean onesie and grabbed her a pacifier as you picked her back up. Her crying had stopped the moment you put her back into your arms, but she was still whining as you gave her the pacifier. Her little blue eyes opened finally and you smiled as she looked up at you, petting down the wisps of dark hair on her head, whispering softly down to her as you gently bounced her in your arms,

“Shh, it’s ok sweetie…”

“You’re really good with her. Well, better than me.” Eddie said with a laugh as he walked back into the living room in a fresh shirt, his hair retied and fixed up.

“You learn a thing or two after having to watch them all the time.”

He walked over and stood behind you, looking down at Beth with a smile as she looked up to him,

“She’s real cute when she’s not crying you know.”

You giggled and turned your head to kiss his cheek,

“And you’re cute when you don’t have baby vomit on your shirt. I’ll hold her for a few, you go warm up her bottle and then you can feed her.”

“Why don’t you feed her? She seems to like you a lot more.”

“Because her mom asked you to babysit, not me, so she’s your responsibility still. I’m just here to help.” You sat on the couch as Eddie went to the kitchen to warm her bottle, “And if you’re gonna babysit, you have to know how to take care of a baby.”

You looked down at her in your arms and smiled, her little eyes wandering all around the trailer before becoming fixed on Eddie as he walked back into the living room, sitting next to you with a bottle in his hand.

“Did you heat it up right?”

“I think so? What’s the right way to do it?”

“There’s really no ‘right’ way to do it, you just have to make sure it’s not too hot for her. Put a little bit of it on the back of your hand, if it’s warm then you should be ok.”

He did as you said and wiped the spot of milk off of his hand onto his shirt,

“Fells fine.”

“Good! Now you take her,” You carefully gave her to Eddie, making sure she was comfortable in his arms as he leaned back onto the couch, “and you’re gonna make sure her head it tilted up just a little bit while you feed her.” He was following your instructions very carefully, adjusting her head slightly as it rested in the crook of his elbow.

He took the pacifier out of her mouth and replaced it with the nipple of the bottle, holding it up for her. It was finally quiet in the trailer. Peaceful.

Seeing how Eddie was being so careful with the little baby in his arms made you smile. He’d been around kids before, and he was always great with them, but taking care of a baby was an entirely different story. As she was laid peacefully in his arms, he was thinking about how her mom must feel. He was exhausted after just an hour but he couldn’t imagine how it would feel to have to take care of something so small and fragile 24/7.

As Beth drank from the bottle Eddie was holding for her, her hands reached up and her little fingers wrapped around one of his and you could feel him tense up slightly.

“You ok?”

“Yeah…” He said quietly with a gentle smile, his eyes never leaving from the baby in his arms.

You leaned your head onto his shoulder,

“I think she likes you.”

“You think so?” He said with a laugh, “She really liked yanking on my hair earlier, she’s got a tight grip!”

“Well i’m sure you liked to pull your dads hair when you were a baby,” you said with a giggle, “babies don’t know it hurts when you pull on other peoples hair.”

He smiled, but stayed quiet for a moment, deep in thought.

“Do you think i’ll be a good dad?” His eyes finally looked up from the baby in his arms and met yours. You could hear the slightest bit of fear in his voice and his eyes were glossy. He was thinking about his childhood, his parents, everything that led up to him living with his uncle. He’d never been in a situation that made him think over something like this, but holding that little girl in his arms and having her finally be so peaceful around him made him realize he really didn’t know what he was doing when it came to kids, let alone babies. His parents definitely didn’t know what they were doing with him when he was a baby.

You gave him a gentle smile and softly kissed his lips,

“You’re gonna be a great dad. It takes a lot of learning when you’re a parent but i think you’re gonna do great when we have kids.”

“But my dad-“

“You’re not him.” You cut him off quickly, wanting to destroy any thoughts of him becoming like his dad. He wasn’t someone who scared easily, but you knew that becoming like his dad was something he feared more than anything else in the world. “You’re not anything like him, and you know you’re not.”

He said nothing, only nodding before giving you a quick kiss, looking back down at Beth as she finished her bottle.

“Looks like she’s all done,” he pulled the bottle from her lips and slowly lifted her from his arms and supported her head as he laid her over his shoulder, “and i’m supposed to pat her back right?”

You nodded and gave him a gentle smile,

“Yep, but be gentle, just do it until you hear her burp.”

He patted her back for a few moments and chuckled as he heard the tiniest squeak come from her over his shoulder,

“Man, i forgot how cute babies are,” he lifted her off of his shoulder and set her upright in his lap, her little hands balled up with one of them in her mouth, “they’re so tiny. We were this tiny once.”

You laughed and reached a finger out to tickle Beth’s tummy, making her smile in Eddie’s lap. He then did the same, moving his hand down to tickle her as she giggled again.

He moved himself down onto the floor with her still sitting in his lap,

“Hey, grab one of those bigger blankets from the bag would you?”

“Yeah sure,” you stood and walked back over to the diaper bag, taking out one of the larger blankets out and laying it onto the carpet, “what for?”

He gently set her down onto the floor on her tummy and sat down before her,

“Jen said to let her crawl around for a little bit before i put her to bed, and she was looking kinda sleepy,” you sat down on the floor across from him as he laid himself out on the carpet to face Beth, her little eyes peeking up at him made him smile, “i wanna see if she’ll crawl over to me.” You could hear a hint of excitement in his voice.

You watched as he laid out on his stomach, looking at Beth across the blanket on the floor,

“Come here Beth, come on…” He tapped the spot of blanket before him to get her attention and she slowly inched her way towards him, grabbing small spots of the blanket in her little hands and kicking out behind her to push herself forward. His smile got bigger and bigger as she came closer and closer, the littlest smile on her face as she kept pushing herself forward.

There was suddenly a gentle knock on the door and you stood up from your spot on the carpet,

“I’ll get it, you stay right there.”

As you opened the door, a woman just about your height was standing there before you. Dark hair, bright blue eyes, this had to be the Jennifer that Eddie had been telling you about.

“Hi! Are you (y/n)? I’m Jennifer, i’m Beth’s mom, i just came to pick her up.”

“Hi, yeah, it’s so nice to meet you! Come on in,” you let her inside and shut the door behind her, “they’re just over here in the living room.”

As the two of you stepped in, you could see Beth’s little hands gripping onto the hair on top of Eddie’s head. Jennifer rushed over to grab Beth,

“Oh gosh, i’m sorry Eddie, i should’ve warned you that she liked to pull hair.” She said with a laugh, taking Beth into her arms after removing Eddie’s hair from her grip.

“Oh it’s no problem.” He said laughing as he stood up from the floor, folding up the blanket and getting Beth’s things together into the bag, “I’m glad i was able to give you some time away from her for a little bit, she’s adorable but i know babies must be pretty stressful.”

“Yeah, she’s a bit of a handful sometimes, but me and Matt are managing. It’s just been tough since he switched over to the night shifts at work, it’s been hard to find time to run out and get errands done but i really appreciate you watching her Eddie, it means a lot.” she reached into her purse and pulled out a few $20’s, handing them to him, “Here, it’s the least i can i do for having you take her on such short notice. And (y/n), i’ve got some for you too, i hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Oh, no, you don’t need to give me anything! Eddie did most of the work with her, i just came over to help, i hope you didn’t mind.”

“Of course not! To be honest, it’s the two of you i really trust with her out of everyone else in this park. Eddie was such a big help while i was pregnant and i really appreciate everything he’s done to help out me and Matt.”

You remembered a few times that Eddie told you about a couple months back. He would help her up the stairs to their door during the last few months of her pregnancy, and would even go over and mow the lawn for her while Matt was out at work, he was the only one out of everyone else in the park to help them out when they needed it.

Eddie finished gathering up Beth’s blankets and bottles into the diaper bag and handed it back over to Jennifer,

“Well, anytime you need someone to look after her, i’ll gladly take her off your hands.”

Jennifer slung the bag over her shoulder and held Beth with the other arm, her little hands reaching back out to grab for Eddie, making Jennifer giggle,

“Well it seems like she’s gonna want to see you again soon. Do you think you’d be able to watch her again next week?” She gently bounced Beth in her arm as she started to yawn, leaning her head onto her moms shoulder.

“Yeah, absolutely! I’m always here if you need a babysitter,” He said with a smile, “And don’t worry about paying me, you guys are stressed enough as it is with her and i know moneys probably pretty tight.”

“Eddie, you’re an angel, really you don’t know how much i appreciate you watching her.” Beth started to slowly drift to sleep in her moms arms, her little blue eyes closing and the pacifier in her mouth almost falling out, “I think i better get back home before she decides to wake up again, i think we both need some sleep. Thank you both again for watching her.”

“Of course! It’s no problem at all!” You said with a smile, walking with her to the front door and opening it for her, Eddie following soon after to say your goodbyes as Jennifer made her way back to her trailer with Beth over her shoulder.

You shut the door and turned back to face Eddie,

“You are too sweet, who knew ‘cult leader’ Eddie Munson was so good with babies.” You said with a giggle, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

“Well like you said, i should probably learn how to take care of them, especially if i’m gonna be watching her a lot more.” He smiled down at you, arms going around your waist, pulling you in closer for a kiss, “You know when we were talking earlier while i was feeding her you said ‘when we have kids’, not ‘when i have kids’… Trying to tell me something?” He smirked and raised an eyebrow, making you laugh.

“No babies! Not right now at least, but i mean, we’ve been dating for how long now? And we’re getting older, and getting into the whole ‘domestic’ kinda thing, maybe eventually we’ll have one.”

“You think so?” He held you close by the waist, his forehead resting on yours, “Might be nice to have a little (y/n) or a little Eddie running around here.”

You giggled at the thought, a little curly haired toddler running around the trailer, Eddie holding them while playing his guitar, and you know he would be the best dad he could be.

“Maybe…” You smiled and leaned up to give him another kiss before he reached his hands down and hoisted your legs up onto his waist.

You giggled and wrapped your legs around his hips, his hands firmly holding onto your ass to keep you up,

“But we definitely don’t need something like that right now, taking care of a baby 24/7 doesn’t sound like that would be too fun. Besides…” He trailed kisses up and down your neck as he carried you into his bedroom, “i think making a baby sounds like a lot more fun.”

_______________________________________________

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borathae · 2 years

Text

↳ Index [Chapter 01 - Oolong]

Warnings: short mentions of car accidents & memory loss but it’s nothing major, a lil bit of creepiness but again nothing major

Wordcount: 8.1k

a/n: and so it begins, one of the softest, most comforting stories i have ever written :(

Three years ago you were living a different life. You have no memory of this life, but you were told that you were.

You were living in the big city, where people didn’t know you and millions of stories lived out collectively at the same place and the same time. You had a job at one of Korea's biggest banks, something along the lines of director of finances. At least that’s what they told you in the hospital.

You had a big apartment, so big that your mouth fell open when you returned to it once your rehab was over.

You also had lots of friends, so you were told, but in the countless months you spent in the hospital just two of them visited you. Strange for someone with supposedly dozens and dozens of friends. At least with the memory loss you didn’t feel heartbroken about the fact that the majority of them didn’t want to see you. You couldn’t really blame them either. You can’t even imagine how you would have reacted if you had gotten a call that your friend was in a car accident and that the chances of survival were at twenty percent. You did however survive, waking up after two months in a coma, totally confused and unable to remember your own name.

Walking was hard at first, actually, everything was hard at first. Your fingers weren’t used to holding things anymore and even breathing was hard on some days.

But with time and the loving care of your nurses, you learned to be human again. The doctors called you a miracle and that you must have been given a second chance by the universe.

And so you took that second chance and decided to leave your past life behind. You left the big city to instead move into the little cottage on the countryside, which your grandparents had apparently left you. You quit your job, knowing fully well they wouldn’t have taken you back either way and with just the essentials stuffed into a little moving van started the journey to your new life just one month after being released.

That was already three years ago and there wasn’t a moment you regret your decision. With your savings you bought a little tea shop and turned it into your new profession. Nowadays it is the most popular tea shop - slash bakery - in your town. With a population of around 800 people it is probably not hard to become popular, especially because you were the only tea shop in your village, but you were proud of your achievement nonetheless. Just last spring you were even able to expand your business and hire your first ever employee.

The former is currently sweeping the floor clean when you enter the tea shop, a happy melody is on his lips and his body is swaying in a little dance.

“Good morning Hoseok. You seem cheerful today”, you greet the red-haired man.

He stops dancing to bow his head, sending you a bright smile.

“Good morning ma’am. I am really happy today, thank you for asking. How about you ma’am?” he says loudly, pronouncing every syllable with care.

“How often do I have to tell you to talk casually to me?” you chuckle fondly, making Hoseok blush in embarrassment.

“Ah, I always forget, forgive me, force of habit”, he confesses, scratching the back of his neck.

“No worries”, you assure him to which he visibly relaxes his shoulders, “tell me, is Jimin here already?”

Hoseok shrugs his shoulders. “I haven’t checked the kitchen yet. I just came here and started cleaning right away.”

“Alright, thank you. I’ll go check on him then.”

“Yes ma’am”, Hoseok nods obediently before continuing his work.

You smile fondly. He will never change.

When you enter the kitchen, it already smells like freshly baked goods and upbeat music plays softly through the old radio on the counter. Jimin is kneading a ball of bright green dough when you pat his shoulder in greeting.

“Oh!” he startles, jumping at the contact.

“It’s just me. Don’t worry”, you laugh at the shocked expression on his round face when he turns.

His face relaxes, the frown turning into his signature smile.

“You startled me, wow”, he chuckles, “Glad you came however, I wanted to talk to you either way.”

“Talk to me? Did something happen?” you ask, tilting your head to the side.

“We ran out of strawberries last night and I only realised after having kneaded the dough”, he explains, pointing at the green rice dough he worked on previously.

“Don’t worry, I called the Kims this morning. They will deliver fresh fruits at around lunch time today.”

“Oh that is terribly late though”, he mumbles, scratching his chin. Pieces of dough stuck to his skin.

“Then how about you fill the pies with something else today?” you suggest, cleaning off his chin with gentle fingers, “we still have some raspberries in the freezer.”

Jimin thinks for a moment, grabbing his chin again. New dough sticks to his skin, almost making you chuckle. How endearing.

“Maybe this could work. The taste would be different of course, but I could replace the vanilla with marzipan and then top the pies off with some almonds”, his eyes light up, “this could actually work. Thank you, I was already giving up.”

You brush the dough away one more time, making him lower his eyes in bashfulness.

“Glad I could help. Those pies sound delicious.”

He smiles brightly, his eyes turning into little crescent moons.

“Then back to work I would say. I have so much to do”, he sings excitedly, skipping back to the freezer room.

“Have fun baking. I’ll be in the front if you need me”, you call after him and leave the kitchen to finally get ready for today.

The day starts off calm as always. Your regulars visit you to get a cup of Hoseok’s town-famous vanilla oolong. Mrs Oh and her small, fragile husband come at exactly nine twenty, sitting down on the small, round table in the corner of the bakery. Like always they talk loudly about the weather and how it will soon be winter, yes even in summer it will soon be winter in their eyes, and share a glass of water from which they both drink for a good hour. Once Mrs Oh and her husband left with a loaf of fresh rye bread, the town’s mayor struts through the door, fixing his colourful tie before greeting you with a loud “hello the mayor’s here”. You ask him “Mister Mayor, are you late for work again?” to which he laughs and shakes his head. Like always he tells you “the telly kept me up last night and my alarm clock is broken” and then gets a big paper cup of Hoseok’s town-famous vanilla oolong. He’ll comment on Hoseok’s hair colour, “where do you get dye like this?” and then strut out of the tea shop to make his way to the town hall. At exactly ten minutes before twelve the elementary teacher Miss Jang and her daughter Sooha get their three strawberry pies - today they are raspberry pies - and Sooha gets her warm milk with honey. And just like that the morning at the bakery comes to an end.

Hoseok puts his jeans jacket on, fixing the collar. He looks at the mirror on the wall, brushing through his hair. Jimin comes out a moment later, apron left in the kitchen and instead a grey, long coat sits on his shoulders. He joins Hoseok by the mirror, checking his face for any traces of flour. Then they both turn to you, both of them smiling brightly.

“You want to join us boss?” Hoseok asks.

“We want to try old Mister Choi’s new mussel soup today”, Jimin says.

“You guys go without me today, the Kims will arrive in around ten minutes and I need to welcome them”, you tell them, to which both pout in distaste.

“Should we get some takeout for you?” Hoseok asks, to which you dismiss him with a wave of your hand.

“I’m okay guys, don’t worry about me and enjoy your lunch break.”

“Yes ma’am thank you ma'am”, Hoseok says, nodding obediently.

You watch the two men leave the shop. Jimin is hitting Hoseok's arm gently, scolding him for being so formal with you to which the latter mumbles a quiet “can’t help it.”

Chuckling fondly to yourself, you finish cleaning the last tables and as you rinse your cleaning rag, you can already hear the shrill horn of the Kims’ truck.

You raise your head, watching a turquoise truck pull up in front of the café and then two men get out. They are waving at you through the windows the moment they lay eyes on you.

“Taehyung, Namjoon hello, you look good today”, you greet them.

“You too”, Taehyung smiles before his straw hat slips down to his nose, “the new apron looks pretty”, he says, fixing the hat with a boyish grin.

“Doesn’t it? Hoseok sewed new aprons for us. I think the bees go lovely with the season”, you explain.

“True, true. Bees are very summery”, Taehyung agrees, nodding his head so vigorously that his straw hat slips down to his nose a second time.

As he is busy fixing his hat once again, you turn your attention to Namjoon. He is rummaging around in the back of the truck, back hunched and grunts of exhaustion leaving him.

“Do you need help?” you offer to which Namjoon raises his head. He looks over the rim of the trucks railing, the lenses of his round glasses smeared with dirt as always.

“I’m good”, he says, eyes wandering over to Taehyung.

“Taehyung! Stop fumblin’ wit' your hat and help me, will ya?” he orders to which Taehyung straightens up in an instant.

He nods obediently, holding his hat to prevent it from slipping down a third time.

“Comin’ hyung!”

You follow Taehyung to the rear end of the truck, watching the two men unload the eight boxes of fresh fruit.

“I expected the three of you today. Where’s Seokjin?”

“Milka gave birth and he is helpin’ with the delivery”, Namjoon explains.

“Finally, I was scared the old cow doesn’t wanna let go of her baby”, Taehyung jokes.

“Wow congrats”, you look at Taehyung, “you already have a name for the baby?”

“Yes of course”, Taehyung jumps from the truck, cleaning his hands on his dungarees, “Schoki, which means chocolate in German, because he is gon’ be just as brown as chocolate”, he explains proudly.

“What a name. Milka and Schoki, one could think you are a chocolate factory”, you chuckle.

“Right? The little rascal is gon' ruin our image with all those silly names”, Namjoon says, ruffling through Taehyung's hair fondly.

The latter complains with a loud whine, face covered behind the knocked down hat.

“Stop babyin’ me hyung, I’m only a year younger than you.”

“At heart you’ll always stay my little baby brother”, Namjoon ruffles Taehyung's hair some more, which only makes Taehyung pout just that harder.

He had just fixed his hat and now it’s all tilted again.

“You two, I swear to heavens”, you chuckle, watching their cute antics with fond eyes.

Namjoon jumps off the truck as well, picking up two boxes. He peeks at you over the boxes.

“Where d'you want us to put them?”

“Oh yeah right! The deliveries, I totally forgot. Put them in the freezer room like always. Thank you”, you tell them, opening the doors for them.

Once all the boxes are stored in the kitchen, it is already time for the two brothers to leave again. You aren’t the only customer they need to attend to today. Their farm is highly successful. The bakeries and restaurants from neighbouring towns also rely on their high-quality produce and the day of deliveries has only started for them.

“I’ll tell Seokjin you said hi”, Namjoon says after having rolled the windows down.

“Thank you, I’ll come visit you guys soon, promise. I want to meet Schoki”, you tell them.

“Yes please do”, Taehyung calls from the driver's seat, head peeking from behind Namjoon.

“I promise. See you guys”, you smile.

“See you”, they say in unison, rolling up their windows and then Taehyung finally drives off.

One hour later Jimin and Hoseok come back from their lunch break, both carrying a take-out for you despite you telling them not to worry about you. They never listen. Once you ate your food, because neither Jimin nor Hoseok would let you go back to work on an empty stomach, you join Hoseok at the counter, ready to serve the many afternoon customers. Most of the customers you get in the afternoon are tourists. As your little town is surrounded by mountains and many hiking trails, tourists are a daily occurrence in your tea shop. Today a group of loudly chatting Europeans came over to buy two sandwiches each.”We need the calories if we want to reach the mountain top”, one of them told you. “That’s the right mindset”, you agree and wish them luck on their hike. Later in the evening you can watch them strut past the tea shop, faces heated from the walk.

At exactly six thirty you close the shop like always. Jimin is the first to leave, driving home with his old, squeaking bike whilst whistling a happy melody. Hoseok is the next to leave, but not before bowing deeply at you and wishing you a good night. You scold him for being so formal, which makes him blush and stutter a cute apology. Once Hoseok is gone as well, you lock the doors and begin your way home.

The tea shop isn’t that far away from your cottage, just a few hills up and down and then you can already see the small river making its way through the weeping willows and your house right at the riverbed.

Like always, your little black cat Levi is waiting for you by the door, meowing loudly and circling your legs until you pick him up.

“Hello Levi, I missed you too. Did you have a lovely day?” you ask, hugging him to your chest.

He meows loudly, wiggling vehemently.

“Fine I’m already putting you down. Geez”, you murmur.

Levi shakes himself, looks up at you with his grey eyes and meows loudly.

“You are acting as if I didn’t feed you in the morning. Come on, I’ll give you your dinner”, you say, walking to the kitchen to give your poor starving boy some food.

Two hours later you are in bed, ready to end the day with Levi by your feet and the book, you had read mere seconds earlier, on the bedside table.

“Good night Levi”, you tell him, turning off your lights and snuggling into your pillow.

Three years ago your life was totally different. Nowadays, your life has a routine. You know what you were going to do at a specific time of your day and you know who you were going to meet where and when. To some it may seem boring, but to you it is perfect. Simple and yet never boring.

The sun wakes you the next morning. Levi is cuddled to your chest, purring quietly. You roll onto your back, careful not to wake him and listen to the first birds singing their songs.

“Good morning Levi”, you say, stretching your arms above your head and sitting up afterwards.

Levi raises his head, hissing a cute complaint for waking him before he jumps to his feet and crawls into your lap.

“Someone is cuddly today”, you chuckle, stroking his soft fur, “come let’s get breakfast.”

His ears twitch at that and a moment later he is off the bed and struts to his empty bowl. He likes chicken the most, it’s making his tail wag the quickest and his little meows sound just that much cuter. Whilst Levi is eating his breakfast, you make yourself a big cup of black tea and make your way to your sunroom afterwards. Levi follows you of course. He does not want to miss out on whatever you plan on doing.

“Wow, look how nice it is today”, you gush, watching the green leaves of the willows dance in the breeze. You pull the rocking chair, which has previously stood next to the bookshelf, into the middle of the sunroom and sit down on it afterwards.

The sun is surprisingly warm for the time of the year. The blanket, you had wanted to throw over your legs to keep yourself warm, lays forgotten on the couch. Levi will make it his' later when you are gone for work.

You close your eyes and sigh happily, leaning back in your rocking chair.

“The weather is getting warmer again, Levi. Isn’t that great? Soon we will be able to have breakfast outside.”

Levi raises his little head and looks up at you for a moment until lying down to sleep again.

“I love the sun so much. Wouldn’t you agree Levi?” you ask, looking down at him.

The cat’s ears twitch, but other than that he doesn’t move an inch.

“I knew you would say that”, you smile fondly. You take a sip of your tea and lean back again, closing your eyes once more.

“Moments like this with you are what life is all about”, you sigh, smiling to yourself.

You sit like this for quite some time, rocking back and forth in your rocking chair whilst listening to the birds sing outside and drinking your tea. You would have probably continued doing exactly that when a sudden object hadn’t blocked the sun so rudely.

You peel your eyes open to see who robbed you of your precious peace. A big, grey truck with the words “Jeon’s Rice & Moving Service” parks on the other side of the river, blocking the sunlight from you. The car doors open and three men get out. Two are dressed in grey uniforms, their shoulders broad and their arms big. The Jeon brothers, you know them. The third guy however must be their client. He is dressed completely in black and is significantly smaller than the other guys.

“Huh?” you straighten up, eyes glued to the three men.

They are talking for a moment, looking at a clipboard, which the smaller man is holding. Soon they seem to come to a conclusion and get to work in an instant.

“This can’t be”, you mumble, watching them carry furniture into the old cottage across the river from you.

“Look Levi, someone is finally moving into the Old House”, you tell him, not even expecting an answer from him.

The Old House has been empty ever since you moved here. It probably has been empty for a long time before that, but you never really asked for how long. You just knew that everyone in town simply called it “the Old House”. The paint had started to come off the bricks and dark ivy covered everything else. The windows looked rotten, definitely letting in the hot air in summer and the freezing winds in winter. You are also pretty sure that the black-tiled roof has holes all over. The inside you had never seen, but you aren’t particularly sad about that. Looking at the outside of the Old House is enough for you to imagine the inside state of it.

The broker must have either made an amazing offer or the buyer must be crazy. You aren’t really able to explain the miracle unfolding in front of your eyes otherwise.

You are definitely going to pay the new, and probably crazy, neighbour a visit after work. You would love to do it right now, but you are already running terribly late.

“Take watch for me Levi, I’ll be back soon. I expect updates”, you tell him, getting up to leave the house.

Levi simply meows and then goes back to sleep.

You can’t help yourself from stopping in front of the house when you pass by it, waiting for someone to come outside. One of the moving people comes out first. The younger brother, he is a few years younger than you, his cheeks puffy and his eyes as big as those of a deer. He looks at you, confused for a moment.

“Oh? Noona, good day. What are you doing here?” he asks, head tilting to the side.

“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just trying to figure out who would be crazy enough to buy the Old House.”

He laughs, clearly amused.

“Not me if you’re wondering. I’m just here to help him move. You know he called my father last night and asked for our help.”

“I never thought I’d see the day where your dad’s weird moving business actually has customers.”

He snorts, “yeah me neither, he made me and hyung drive all the way to Daegu.”

“So he is a city guy...what does a guy from the city want with such a rundown house?” you wonder out loud.

He shrugs his shoulders, resting his hand on his hips.

“Don’t ask me, I’m just doing my job”, he grins playfully.

“Of course you are, sorry I asked”, you give him a quick apologetic smile, which he dismisses with a wave of his hand.

“Don’t worry about it noona.”

“Jeon Jungkook!” someone yells from the inside and a moment later his older brother appears at the door frame, “stop chatting up the neighbours and help us unload. Father doesn’t pay you for talking! Good morning ___!”

“Morning Junghyun!”

“I’m coming hyung, sorry!” Jungkook calls before he turns to you. He is blushing with a boyish grin on his face, “sorry noona, I have to go again. Duty’s calling.”

“Sure I have to go to work anyways. It was nice talking to you Jungkook, greet your parents from me will ‘ya?” you send him a friendly smile, which he returns happily.

“I will. Have a nice day. Bye bye”, he waves at you and a moment later storms off into the direction of the house.

You arrive at the tea shop at the same time Hoseok does on his Vespa. He gets off hurriedly when he sees you, not even giving himself time to take off his helmet before he already bows at you, greeting you loudly.

“Good morning ma’am. I’m sorry I’m late, my dog threw up all over my carpet this morning and I had to clean everything up!”

“It’s okay I’m late too, don’t worry about it. I hope Mikey’s okay though.”

Hoseok takes off his helmet, ruffling through his hair to fix it and nods. “He is fine, the rascal just ate his food too fast and got a belly ache. It’s his own fault.”

“You can sing me a song of that, Levi’s the same”, you chuckle fondly.

Hoseok joins you, holding the door open for you. Once inside, he helps you get out of your coat and hangs it up on the coat hanger next to his jeans jacket.

“But why are you late ma’am? It’s not like you to run late”, Hoseok asks, joining you behind the counter after he flipped the sign to open on the door.

“The most peculiar thing happened to me this morning. You won’t believe me when I tell you, but someone moved into the Old House.”

Hoseoks eyes grow big, “What? The Old House? Who in their right mind would move into that?”

“Apparently some guy from the city.”

“Someone from the city? Why would someone from the city want to live in the Old House?” Hoseok mumbles, clearly thinking out loud. Suddenly his face lights up, as if he had an idea, “what if he doesn’t even want to live here, but instead he wants to turn the Old House into a bed and breakfast or something. Or a pension or a hotel?”

You shudder at the thought.

“Don’t say that, just imagining that gives me goosebumps.”

“Why? It would be amazing for our business.”

“Yes of course, but-“, you lower your voice just slightly, making Hoseok lean closer, “-imagine all the ruckus I would have to go through each and every day. And all the people who would stare at me when I’m in my sunroom. No thank you.”

Hoseok gasps, hiding his mouth behind his hands.

“I didn’t even think of that”, he whispers, “oh no, that wouldn’t be good. I’m sorry that I even suggested that ma’am”, he says loudly, bowing at an almost ninety degree angle.

You laugh, pulling Hoseok up by his shoulder.

“You rascal, how often do I have to tell you to stop being so formal with me?” you chuckle, nudging his arm gently.

“Ah, I did it again. I’m really trying to change that, but it’s just so hard. I feel like I would insult you if I started being informal with you”, he blushes, scratching the tip of his nose shyly.

“It’s been almost a year since you started working here. Don’t worry, you won’t insult me”, you pat his shoulder, “you can loosen up.”

“Okay thank you ma’am. I mean! Thank you boss.”

You scoff in amusement, “okay that’s fine for now”, you chuckle, shaking your head.

Soon your tea shop routine starts. Mrs Oh and her husband visit you like always, later the mayor and around lunch break Miss Jang and Sooha. Hoseok, Jimin and you go to the old Choi for lunch and open the tea shop two hours later again, ready to welcome your afternoon guests. The afternoon is surprisingly busy today, it is as if the entire town decided to go for a cup of tea, even Hoseok, who normally never breaks a sweat, has to stop at one point to wipe his forehead on the sleeve of his flannel. For some reason everyone in town seemed to have noticed what was going on at the Old House, you had lost count of how many times you had the same conversation about the crazy city guy and the fear that he would turn the Old House into a hotel. People in this town apparently all think alike, but that’s their charm after all.

Hoseok and Jimin leave the tea shop before you, like they always do, but not before Jimin didn’t give you a big box of leftover cookies to greet your new neighbour with. “Maybe that will sway him not to ruin our town”, he said and then drove off with his squeaky bike. Hoseok drives off five minutes later, telling you to act crazy so the city guy thinks people in this town are bad for hotel business. You told him that you will try it with a smile on your lips. You close up afterwards, making your way home.

When you are close enough to actually see the Old House, you notice the moving van had already left for the day. So they must have finished the work already, hopefully your neighbour is still here and didn’t go back to the city for the night.

Wait. You stop, watching the lights flicker on inside. There is electricity in this house?

“So it isn’t all rotten in there”, you mumble, starting to walk up the hill until you reach the fence gate. It is open and you take it as your invitation to officially set foot on the property.

You look around the garden when you walk through it. The trees are tall and old, shielding off most of the stars and painting the scrubs in a dark shadow. It is a lot colder underneath the trees than outside on the road, making you shiver. If this property wouldn’t be that creepy, you would find walking here a lot nicer.

“Huh?” you gasp once you arrive at the front door, “it’s opened?” Should you just enter? No, that would be trespassing, he doesn’t even know you yet and neither do you. What if he owns a machete and starts stabbing you when you burst into his house like that? You shiver at the thought, thinking about turning on your heels and just running away.

“No, get yourself together. We aren’t in the movies here”, you mumble, tightening your fingers on the cookie box. You press on the door bell with all your might, only to scream up in total horror when bright bolts of lightning cut through the air the moment you press the rusty doorbell.

A loud yell rings from inside as well when all of the lights go out in a reaction to your little accident. You can hear heavy footsteps scurry around, mixing with very graphic and angry cursing.

This is so embarrassing, you just want to turn around and run away, but before you can leave your neighbour to figure out on his own what had caused the bypass, the front door opens swiftly.

“Who’s there? I heard you scream”, a deep and very angry voice growls. A white light from a headlamp blinds you, making you squint your eyes. You can’t see anything other than that stupid light.

"Y-you?"

“H-hello sir. I’m your neighbour, sorry for interrupting your work, but I just came here to welcome you to the village”, you stutter, shielding your eyes from the light.

Silence then a quiet cough as he clears his throat.

“Did you cause the short? You didn’t press the doorbell did you?” he straight up ignores you, still shining the blinding light directly into your eyes.

“Uhm, would it be possible for you to turn those lights off? They really hurt my eyes”, you ignore his questions for the sake of your eyes.

“Oh, my bad. Sure”, he says a lot calmer and turns the lights off.

You blink, trying to adjust to the new darkness. When you finally get rid of the annoying blue dots in your eyes, you look at him, expecting to finally see his face.

However, all you see is a figure lingering in the shadows, shielding its face from the street lamps behind his door. All you can clearly see are long, pale fingers grasping the wood, the fingernails dirty from working and the nail beds bitten bloody. He doesn’t say anything, just keeps on staring at you in silence.

“I have cookies.”

The fingers leave the door and soon a pale arm appears. It is covered in dirt and dust.

“Thank you”, he murmurs, grasping the box of cookies most tenderly.

And then the hand disappears inside again.

This is creepy. Far too creepy for you to want to stay any longer.

“Uhm, okay. Anyways, welcome to the village and I hope you’ll be able to fix the issue. Feel free to send me the bill if the damage is a lot bigger. Sorry again for the short.”

He hums deeply, his shadowy head nodding.

“Okay, uhm”, you take a step back, “I’ll be going then”, you get down the three stairs, “Good night”, you say, walking down the path with your back turned to the road and your eyes fixed on the door. He is still staring at you from the darkness, not moving an inch.

Only when you are finally on the road and have closed the fence door behind you, do you turn around, starting to sprint down the hill to the safety of your house.

You stop running when you reach your door, already tasting blood in your mouth from panting. With shaky fingers you somehow manage to open your door, not even opening it completely before you slip inside and throw it closed again. You lock it quickly, checking twice if you actually did and only then do you feel yourself starting to relax. You shudder, hugging yourself.

“What the actual hell was that?” you mumble, rushing into the living room to close all your blinds. Levi is meowing by your feet, complaining about having to starve the entire day, but you don’t pay him any attention, you just want to make sure everything is closed and nobody can look into your house.

“Levi the scariest thing just happened to me”, you pick him up, snuggling his small body to your chest. He starts to lick your face, purring quietly, “I just wanted to welcome the neighbour and he just stared at me. He acted like he was the next new horror movie antagonist.”

Levi tilts his head to the side, listening to you intently.

“It gave me the creeps, look”, you show him your arm, “I still have goosebumps because of it.”

Levi meows, wiggling in your arms. It makes you giggle and instantly feel better.

“I know Levi, I know you were worried about me. But mommy’s here now, don’t worry about me anymore”, you coo, hugging him tighter to your body, “let’s go feed you and then cuddle in the bed. Mommy really needs that tonight.”

The Old House greets you the next morning, standing against the sun cold and menacingly and casting long, creepy shadows. You clutch your tea cup tighter, swallowing loudly.

“Is it just me or is the Old House smirking at me in a taunting way?” you ask Levi. He looks up from his food for a moment, meows once and then goes back to eating his chicken far too quickly.

“That’s it, I’m not drinking my tea in the sunroom today”, you decide, closing the doors to it and pulling the thick curtains in front of them.

Your living room is good too, the sofa is really comfortable and you can watch Levi eat his breakfast, which is good too. Yes everything is better than sitting in a room entirely made out of glass and getting watched by the Old House.

Which still doesn’t save you from having to pass it on your way to work, the aspect of it already making you shiver. If walking past it wasn’t scary enough, a cold wind starts howling the moment you are directly in front of the Old House. The wood creaks, the windows rattle and the long grasses dance like a wild sea in the storm. You shiver, quickening your steps.

“Hey ___!” a male voice suddenly cuts through the wind, making your blood freeze in your veins.

Oh god, is this your neighbour? Did he see you? Is he running up to you? You don’t dare to turn around, but you can hear his footsteps coming closer. You can’t move, you can’t run away. It is like you are frozen on the spot. He could straight up murder you and you wouldn’t be able to move. Is this how you are going to die? In broad daylight on your way to work? Murdered by your creepy neighbour, what a wonderful way to go.

“Good morning Miss”, he stops running, now leaning against the fence with his arms. You can see his shadow in the corners of your eyes and yet you can’t move.

“If you are going to kill me, just do it already”, you stutter, sweating even though you were freezing cold.

“Kill you?” he breaks into loud, heartfelt laughter, “why would I want to kill you?”

Surprised by his reaction, and sweet laugh, your body suddenly works again. You turn to stare at him in a mixture of shock and confusion. Your confusion only grows when you finally get a good look at his face. You had expected to see a monster. Fallen-in cheeks, blue chapped lips and murderous, bloodshot eyes. But instead a man your age smiles back at you. Cheeks puffy and glowing in the sunlight, lips pink and pouty and his dark brown eyes sparkle in friendliness.

“Now I’m confused”, you can’t stop your mouth from falling open. How is that possible? How does he look so normal, handsome even, but act so creepy?

“You probably expected a creep because of how I acted last night, right?” he chuckles, tilting his head to the side.

“Honestly I did”, you confess, still wary. Maybe this is his plan, get you to trust him with his cute smile and then bash your head in when you aren’t looking. He wouldn’t be the first serial killer using his charms to lure naïve women to their demise.

“I think I owe you an apology for how I acted last night. I couldn’t sleep because of how embarrassed by my behaviour I was. I promise you I am not a serial killer”, he smiles, lowering his head.

“This is exactly something a serial killer would say.”

He chuckles, scratching his neck.

“I’m not helping myself here”, he looks at you shyly, “the truth is, I am really scared of social interactions, especially unplanned ones and when you stood at my doorstep last night my brain kind of shut off. Not an excuse to be a total creep, but I hope I at least could ease your nerves a little.”

You study his face for a moment. As much as you try to find any evil in his eyes, you can’t. Maybe he is actually telling the truth right now.

“Maybe. I don’t know yet”, you say finally.

“Good enough for me”, he sends you a shy smile, “I’m Min Yoongi by the way, but you can call me Yoongi if you want to”, he says, offering you his hand to shake.

You don’t accept it, bowing your head instead.

“Hello”, you send him an unsure smile.

“Hey”, he grins, “and you are? I don’t think you’ve told me your name yet.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m ___.”

“___?” he repeats.

You nod.

“What a beautiful name”, he smiles again, brushing strands of his blond hair out of his face.

“Thank you.”

For a moment neither one of you knows what to say. Yoongi just simply lets his eyes travel over your face, while you grow more restless with every passing second spent in silence.

“Anyways I’ll go now-“, “I tried your cookies and-“, you say at the same time.

“Oh sorry”, Yoongi chuckles, scratching the tip of his nose with his little finger. It leaves a stain of dirt behind.

“Sorry”, you mumble.

“You first”, Yoongi says, pointing his hand at you.

“O-okay. Uhm, I think I’ll be going now or else I’ll be late to work.”

“Of course. Gosh, silly me is keeping you up. Sorry.”

“No worries.”

You would normally ask him what he had wanted to tell you, but he is studying your face again with that weird almost longing sparkle in his eyes and it is starting to creep you out.

You take a step back, clearing your throat.

“It was nice talking to you. Have a nice day”, you say quickly.

Yoongi nods his head, smiling again.

“The honour was all mine”, he pauses for a moment, “___”, he says quietly.

“Good morning ma'am!” Hoseok greets you loudly, stopping his task of sweeping the ground in front of the tea shop to bow at you. He had watched you walk down the narrow street for quite a while now, wondering why you looked so uneasy. He was worried, imagining the worst possible scenario in that overthinking head of his’. What if Levi died under unknown circumstances? What if you dropped your favourite mug? What if the Old House will actually be turned into a hotel?

“Morning Hoseok”, you mumble, forcing a quick smile to your face and entering the tea shop afterwards.

It is not that Hoseok annoys you, but rather you are far too lost in your own thoughts to function. The neighbour, Min Yoongi, told you that you can trust him, but why do you still feel so creeped out by him? Is it the way he said your name once he found out? He sounded so charmed by your name, it makes you feel weird.

“Boss? Are you okay?” Hoseok follows you inside, having abandoned the broom outside next to the ficus trees.

“Hm?” you look up at him, raising an eyebrow in confusion, “what do you mean?”

“You look really worried. Is the Old House actually going to be a hotel?”

At that Jimin looks up from the table as well, getting to his feet to join Hoseok in front of the counter.

“What’s the matter boss? You okay?” he asks.

“Of course I am okay, it’s sweet you are so worried about me, but I’m okay”, you dismiss them, turning around to get the water cookers ready.

“Is the Old House getting turned into a hotel?” Jimin asks.

Hoseok looks at Jimin then at you, swallowing in worry.

“No of course not”, you send them a reassuring smile, “it is just a guy, Min Yoongi, who moved here. I think, at least.”

They both visibly relax.

“It is just that he is giving me weird vibes. Last night when I wanted to give him the cookies I accidentally caused a short and when he opened the door he scolded me, understandably, but-“

Hoseok gasps before even knowing the big reveal.

“-but then he kind of froze and creeped back into the shadows and didn’t even say a word like a total weirdo”, you shudder.

“Ooooh creepy”, Hoseok whispers, slightly scared.

“This is just like a documentary I watched a few weeks ago. A young, handsome man moved into an empty house across the street from a woman and then weird things started to happen. Her flower beds had footsteps all over them, her windows were smeared as if someone had pressed their face against the glass and weird love letters started appearing at her doorstep. Turns out the new neighbour was actually a serial killer, who escaped from an asylum. He fell in love with the woman and wanted her all to himself and when she refused, he skinned her alive and wore her face as a mask. But the man was never found, he fled before the police could catch him and has been missing ever since”, Jimin says mindlessly.

Both you and Hoseok complain with a loud whine, grabbing each other in fear.

“What the hell? Why are you telling me that?” you almost yell at him, scared to the bones.

“Seriously bro, why would you say that?” Hoseok whines, close to tears.

“I don’t know”, Jimin shrugs his shoulders, “it just kind of reminded me of the documentary.”

Hoseok tightens his arms around you, your own fingers clutching his shirt. Jimin studies your faces before breaking into loud laughter.

“I’m just messing with you guys. There was no documentary, I made it all up”, he wheezes, “you should see your faces, it’s hilarious”, he cackles, holding his stomach.

“Jimiiiin”, Hoseok whines, hitting Jimin repeatedly with a rag, “don’t. say. things. like. that. It’s not funny.”

Jimins laughter grows.

“I could fire you over that Park Jimin! If your cakes weren’t so damn delicious you would be out the door by now”, you hiss, only making Jimin laugh harder.

He sends you a quick finger heart before hugging you, rocking you from side to side.

“Sorry boss, please don’t be angry at me”, he sings sweetly.

You wiggle out of his arms, giving his chest a nudge.

“Go to work and deliver the best cakes I have ever tasted and maybe I won’t be angry with you anymore”, you tell him, earning a thumbs-up from him.

“I will boss, I won’t disappoint”, he says, storming off into the kitchen before Hoseok can throw the rag at his face.

“Don’t come back out for the rest of the day, rascal!” Hoseok calls after him, pouting.

The door swings closed, Jimin's giggles are still echoing through the tea shop.

“I swear to heavens this man just gave me the biggest fright”, you mumble, clutching your chest where your heart is racing.

“Same, I was so scared”, Hoseok whines, leaning onto the counter with his elbows to catch his breath. He looks at you, still worried slightly, “what are you going to do about that Min Yoongi dude though? What if he still turns out to be a creep?”

You shrug your shoulders, “I don’t know, we’ll see how everything will develop. Maybe he is actually nice and was just nervous to see me last night. I mean come on, everyone's a little weird when meeting new people. Can you still remember when you were even too scared to look into my eyes for the first two months of working here?”

Hoseok blushes, “don’t remind me boss, I was so weird back then.”

“See? And now you aren’t anymore, you just needed a little time to warm up to Jimin and me. Maybe my neighbour is the same and he is actually a pretty sweet guy.”

“I really hope he is”, Hoseok mumbles, turning his attention to today’s first customers afterwards.

Hoseok and Jimin wait for you tonight, both of them seeming still worried about you. Even Jimin, who had joked so cruelly about the whole situation, seems uneasy now that night has come. He watches you with hawk-like eyes when you lock the tea shop doors, following you to Hoseok, who is waiting by his Vespa for you and Jimin.

“Boss, I want to drive you home today”, Hoseok says confidently.

“What? Ah no-“, you shake your head, “-you don’t need to do that, I’m totally okay.”

“No, I really want to drive you home today and make sure that you are home safely”, he insists, already handing you his helmet.

“That’s a good idea hyung”, Jimin says, pushing you to Hoseok's Vespa by your shoulders.

“Guys come on”, you complain only to be silenced by Jimin putting the helmet on your head and fastening the chin strap.

“Seriously?” you ask him, cocking up an eyebrow at him.

He nods confidently.

“Yes”, he smiles innocently, acting cute on purpose, “please let Hoseok drive you home today boss, I’ll sleep so much better if you do. And you know how bad my cakes taste if I had a bad night’s sleep. Do you really want to sell disgusting cakes tomorrow?”

“I see, emotional blackmail”, you click your tongue, “fine, I’ll let Hoseok drive me home”, you give in with a loud sigh, climbing on the Vespa behind Hoseok and wrapping your arms around his middle.

Hoseok and Jimin exchange a proud look, probably giving each other that weird mental high-five they always do.

“See you tomorrow boss”, Jimin says, nudging your arm one last time.

“See you tomor-woah”, you squeal, tightening your arms around Hoseok when he suddenly drives off without warning.

Hoseok is probably the worst Vespa driver you have ever had the honour to drive with. It is not that he doesn’t know what he is doing, but he is driving like a maniac, speeding up and down the narrow roads as if they were highways. At some points you were scared he might even crash into one of the many house walls, but somehow he always manages to steer away in the last moment.

Your knees are wobbly once he arrives at your house and your heart is racing so quickly, one could have believed you ran a marathon. You get off, having to hold onto Hoseok's arms in order not to fall down.

“Where did you learn to drive?” you pant, making Hoseok blush.

“Why? I had everything under control don’t worry”, he mumbles.

“You weren’t even wearing a helmet, you could have died. You drove like a madman.”

“Hey boss, don’t worry. I honestly had everything under control”, he pats your arm, “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”

“Please don’t, I'd rather get murdered by my neighbour than having to drive with you again.”

“Hey”, Hoseok whines, pouting, “don’t say that boss, it’s making me sad.”

“Sorry”, you send him a quick smile, “still, you don’t need to do that Hobi, it’s such a big detour for you.”

Hoseok shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t care, your safety is far more important than me having to get up ten minutes earlier than usual.”

“You are so sweet, did I tell you that lately?” you give his cheek a soft pinch, making him blush again, “fine if it makes you feel better I’ll drive with you tomorrow again.”

“Yay”, Hoseok bursts in happiness, smiling so brightly it could be considered blinding, “see you tomorrow then. And don’t forget to lock the doors tonight.”

“I won’t, thank you for driving me. Sleep tight.”

“Good night boss”, Hoseoks smiles, putting on his helmet and getting on his Vespa. He gives you a quick wave and then he already off, driving off into the night like a madman.

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